


Gifted

by solarstar_moonlight



Series: X-Men [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, Some innuendo though because they are rambunctious teens after all, X-Men AU - Freeform, characters are underage so no sex, superpowers and action and robots oh my
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-11 23:23:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19119817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solarstar_moonlight/pseuds/solarstar_moonlight
Summary: “It’s just us now.  No teachers, no rules.  It’s scary and kinda fucked up, but I believe we can do this you guys.  We’re not cursed, we’re gifted,”Lee Taeyong is a 16 year old who, after surviving what should have been a fatal car accident, discovers that he is in fact a mutant.  When he enrolls at a special school for mutants in New York, he finds himself at the center of a horrible scheme to create a "cure" for the mutant gene.  This sends him and his classmates on the run as they fight for their lives against a human supremacist group, known as the Circle of Purification





	1. Chapter 1

**Taeyong tapped his fingers along to the beat of his favorite song as his driver pulled up to the front of his school. His insides were swirling with dread as he looked through the car window at the front steps of the school. It was his 16 th birthday, and like every other birthday he knew that a bunch of annoying kids were going to be giving him overly expensive gifts trying to get close to him. It was all because of who his parents were.**

 

**Taeyong’s mother and father were a political power couple; his mother was even thinking of running for president. This made him something of a celebrity at his private school, even among all of the other spoiled rich kids. For some reason people thought that Taeyong was above the law and could do whatever he wanted… which was kinda true sometimes, but it’s not like he made a point of committing crimes for fun.**

 

**“Aren’t you going to go inside?” Taeyong’s longtime driver Minwoo asked. Taeyong couldn’t help but stare at the dark glasses framing Minwoo’s face; he was blind, but still had a fruitful career as a chauffeur, primarily because he was a Mutant. Mutants had been around for thousands of years (according to what Taeyong had read online at least) but they were first documented in the 1960s. Every mutant had their own superhuman ability that they were born with, and while it sounded cool it was also somewhat terrifying. Taeyong had seen mutants with hands growing out of their heads, or giant spikes shooting out of their backs or worse. Thankfully for Minwoo, his ability gave him an impeccable knowledge of his surroundings, even if he couldn’t see them.**

 

**“Yeah I’ll go I’m just not really all that excited for today,” Taeyong admitted.**

 

**“Your birthday has always been a sore spot for you,” Minwoo nodded in understanding, “Still, you should enjoy your classes today and have fun with your friends tonight. After all, you only turn 16 once,”**

 

**“I guess you’re right Minwoo,” Taeyong said with yet another sigh, “Well, I’ll see you later,”**

 

**“Do you need me to pick you up this afternoon?”**

 

**“Nah, a few of my friends wanna take me out to the mall right after school to buy me presents,”**

 

**“Ah, well have fun Taeyong,”**

 

**“Thank you Minwoo,” Taeyong said with a smile, actually feeling somewhat better about the subject. He walked into the school, hoping to avoid anyone who knew about his ‘special day’ as he made a mad dash for his locker. Unfortunately the second he rounded the corner, he came face to chest with his much taller best friend, Johnny Seo, “Oh, hey Johnny,”**

 

**“Happy birthday Taeyong! Welcome to the 16 and up club man!” Johnny’s voice echoed through the hallway, prompting Taeyong to shush him.**

 

**“Maybe you wanna say that a little louder? I don’t think they heard you in the Baxter Building!”**

 

**“Oh hush, you’re fucking Lee Taeyong, the most popular kid that’s ever gone to this school. Everyone knows its your birthday dude,” Johnny retorted. Taeyong rolled his eyes at that comment before Johnny continued, “Anyways, Ten and I are still taking you out later, so meet us by my car right after last period okay?”**

 

**“Alright, I’ll be there,”**

 

**Johnny waved goodbye as Taeyong grabbed his books from his locker. When he turned around there were no less than six other kids there, each holding a brightly colored giftbag with overly eager smiles stretched across their faces… It was going to be a very long day**

 

**…**

 

**Taeyong let out a deep sigh of relief as the dismissal bell sounded off; finally he was free… or at least, almost free. He still had to sit through being dragged to the mall with Johnny and Ten, but at least the three of them always had fun together. He made his way to Johnny’s silver sports car in the back parking lot, struggling to carry about 20 gift bags with him. Johnny and Ten finally came outside, talking and laughing amongst themselves.**

 

**“Hey TY!” Ten called out, waving frantically to Taeyong.**

 

**“Hey you guys. Do we have to hit the mall? I mean, I think I have enough birthday gifts,” Taeyong said, hoping they’d just give up and let him go home.**

 

**“Yeah but those gifts aren’t special, they’re not from your best friends,” Johnny said, hopping into the driver’s side of the car, “Now let’s get going,”**

 

**Taeyong shrugged his shoulders in resignation and piled his gifts into Johnny’s backseat before pushing them over to make room for himself. Before long, they were speeding down the highway in the direction of the largest mall in town.**

 

**“Okay, so first we need to hit up the jewelry store. I wanna get matching bracelets for the three of us! Oh, and we can have them engraved with our initials!” Ten excitedly squealed. Taeyong couldn’t help but smile; his friend’s excitement was infectious.**

 

**“Hey Johnny, I think your seatbelt back here is broken,” Taeyong said, but Johnny didn’t hear him since he cranked up the radio 2 seconds before Taeyong started talking. Taeyong went to reach forward and tap Johnny’s shoulder, but his attention was diverted by the sight in front of him, “Oh shit, Johnny look out!”**

 

**Just up ahead there seemed to be a car accident; four vehicles were crashed into each other, their frames bent out of shape and glass from windows and windshields scattered across the road. Johnny was already going faster than normal, so he didn’t have time to stop before slamming into a minivan at the back of the group, sending Taeyong hurtling forward out of the back seat and crashing through the windshield. He hit the pavement hard and rolled for at least ten feet before coming to a stop.**

 

**He lied there, completely immobile; what had to be excruciating pain only felt like a dull ache to him as the blood from his open head wound dripped down his face and he slipped slowly into unconsciousness. The last thing he recalled seeing before fading out completely was Johnny and Ten running over to him…**

 

**…**

 

**Taeyong’s eyes slowly fluttered open and the first thing he saw was a blinding light in his face. He had no idea where he was or what happened after the crash, but he could feel a subtle throbbing in his limbs. He craned his neck upwards, trying to get a better look at the room he was in. It looked like a room in a hospital or something, but he couldn’t be sure. A few moments later, a doctor walked into the room, confirming his suspicion.**

 

**“Excuse me, doctor? How long was I out for?” Taeyong asked, his voice coming out raspy. The doctor gasped in shock at the sound of Taeyong speaking. Her eyes were wide and her lips were trembling.**

 

**“Y-you’re… you’re supposed to be dead! What happened to your wounds? You had a litany of broken bones and a serious cranial fracture. You were pronounced dead at the scene of the c-crash and… well, your parents are on their way, but I suspect I’ll have very special questions for them now,”**

 

**“Wait, what?! You’re telling me I… died? That’s impossible!” Taeyong insisted, “I was just unconscious for a few hours!”**

 

**“There can only be one explanation for this,” the doctor said, shaking her head, “I’d have to run a few tests to be certain but… I believe you’re a Mutant Mr. Lee,”**

 

**Taeyong couldn’t believe what he was hearing; could he really be a Mutant? He’d never shown any signs of having superhuman powers before, though if what the doctor was saying was indeed true, it seemed like he’d just come back from the dead. There was no way that could be possible unless he had some kind of weird abilities. The more he thought about it though, he’d always healed a lot faster than he probably should’ve, even if he’d never sustained major injuries in his life.**

 

**“If I am a mutant, what’s going to happen to me?” Taeyong asked, the fear evident in his voice as he spoke.**

 

**“Well, I think your life will be very different from now on,”**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On his first day at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Taeyong finds himself assigned to the well-regarded Paragon Class; consisting of the most powerful students at the school

_“ **I believe you are a Mutant Mr. Lee,”**_

 

**Taeyong was a Mutant, that much was now an indisputable fact.  Every test the doctor ran on him came back positive for the X-Gene; the single genetic anomaly responsible for the existence of Mutants.  While it was clear that he was a Mutant, the doctor couldn’t tell exactly what his abilities were or how they worked.  Because of that, his parents decided that it would potentially be too dangerous to have him around until he found it exactly what he was capable of.**

 

**And so there he was; on a train to upstate New York to attend something called the “Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters”.  He’d never even heard of the place before, but apparently it was a special school that helped Mutant kids and teens learn to control their powers so that they could reintegrate into society.**

 

**The ride was long as hell and boring, but eventually Taeyong found himself in a taxi, pulling up in front of a massive mansion; it was at least five times larger than the luxurious house Taeyong grew up in.  It looked as though it was built sometime in the 1800s, but there were clearly some modern additions to it.  Standing in front of the golden arched gate was a tall dark-skinned woman with hair as white as freshly fallen snow.  A long white cape draped off of her shoulders, making for quite the striking visual as Taeyong’s taxi came to a stop.**

 

**The woman opened his door for him, offering a warm smile.**

 

**“Hello Taeyong.  My name is Headmaster Munroe.  Firstly I’d like to thank you for enrolling here,” she said, traces of an African accent still present in her speech.**

 

**“It wasn’t exactly my decision,” Taeyong said, pulling his bags out of the taxi.**

 

**“As is usually the case,” Headmaster Munroe said in a soothing tone, “Few of our students arrive of their own accord, but trust that you will find this to be a loving environment where you can safely learn to use your gifts.”**

 

**“Gifts? I’m sorry if this sounds rude but nothing about this seems like a gift,” Taeyong snapped as he followed Headmaster Munroe down the cobblestone pathway leading to the mansion.**

 

**“That feeling I certainly understand.  When I first awakened my own abilities I felt much the same way,” she said with a knowing nod, “But in time you will come to realize how special you truly are.  Now if you’ll come with me, I will take you to the Cerebro Chamber where we can discern exactly what your abilities are and assign you to a class,”**

 

**Taeyong sighed and nodded as they stepped into the mansion.  His feelings of worry and doubt were quickly replaced with awe at the sight of the place.  The ceilings were high and arched, decorated with chandeliers and ornate paintings like the Vatican or something.  There were marble columns on either side of every doorway downstairs, and there seemed to be more rooms than Taeyong could even count.  He was so busy staring at the insane architecture that he almost lost Headmaster Munroe who’d kept striding ahead of him.**

 

**She led him to an area beneath the school that looked quite different from the main building.  The walls there were metallic and bare, and giant X-shaped automatic doors were all over the place.  Eventually they arrived at a room that was devoid of anything but a computer terminal and a strange looking helmet.**

 

**“What is this place?” Taeyong asked as Headmaster Munroe picked up the helmet.**

 

**“This is the Cerebro Chamber.  Through this computer we can assess mutant powers,” she explained, “Now please, put this on.  Don’t worry, it won’t hurt you,”**

 

**Taeyong reluctantly put the helmet on his head, wincing when it shocked him a little.  A diagram of a human body appeared on the computer terminal, but Taeyong couldn’t really understand what any of the other images meant.  It was a long moment before Headmaster Munroe spoke again.**

 

**“This is incredible.  According to this you are an Omega Level Mutant.  That would make your power nearly limitless.  You should take great pride in that Taeyong,”**

 

**“What are my powers exactly?”**

 

**“Cellular Manipulation.  To keep things simplistic, you can force your cells to heal from any damage.  In short, you are unkillable,” Headmaster Munroe said with a wide smile, “I think you’ll make a great fit for the top class here at the Institute.  I’m assigning you to Paragon Class,”**

 

**“Unkillable…” Taeyong repeated the word in shock; that would certainly explain why the crash didn’t kill him.  It was definitely a lot to take in.**

 

**“Don’t worry Taeyong, our instructors will make sure you learn how to use every facet of your wonderful abilities,” Headmaster Munroe assured him, “How about we introduce you to your new roommate?”**

 

**Taeyong simply nodded, still trying to process the information he’d just been given.  He was almost completely zoned out while following Headmaster Munroe to the dormitories.  She knocked lightly on the door before using her master keycard to unlock it.**

 

**“You’ll get your own keycard soon, but for now you can meet your roommate… Mr. Nakamoto I believe,” Headmaster Munroe patted Taeyong’s shoulder supportively, “Remember Taeyong, don’t be afraid of your gift.  Embrace it,”**

 

**Taeyong nodded once again, taking a deep breath before he entered the room.  The bedroom was pretty simple in its design; there were two twin sized beds on either side of a large window, and a long dresser between them.  There was also a TV with about a million anime DVDs scattered on the floor around it.**

 

**“Hello? Is there anyone here?” Taeyong tentatively called as he stepped inside, closing the door behind him.**

 

**“In here! I’ll be out in just a second!” another voice replied from behind a door on the far side of the room.  Taeyong had no idea what was in there; probably a bathroom or an extra-large closet or something.**

 

**Taeyong sat down on what appeared to be the open bed (due to the lack of personalized sheets and blankets) and started unpacking his things.  He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to be feeling at the moment; most people would do anything to obtain the kind of power he had, but was it worth having his entire life uprooted?  He had his own hopes and dreams that didn’t have anything to do with being some super powerful Mutant.  Taeyong’s thoughts were interrupted by the door opening, revealing his roommate… his insanely gorgeous roommate.**

 

**He had the face of a Greek statue; his jaw was perfectly chiseled and his features were flawless.  He had wavy almond colored hair that was ever so slightly wet, but the most… noticeable thing by far was the fact that the only thing he was wearing was the pink towel around his waist.  Taeyong’s jaw was practically on the floor when the boy’s face lit up with the brightest smile he’d ever seen.**

 

**“Hi! You must be Taeyong.  I’m Nakamoto Yuta, originally from Osaka but I’ve been here for about 5 years now,” Yuta said, shaking Taeyong’s hand before taking note of the other boy’s dumbfounded expression, “Is something wrong?”**

 

**“Oh no it’s nothing it’s just… well…”**

 

**“Oh, I’m naked!” Yuta said, giggling as he came to the realization himself, “Let me put some clothes on and then I can show you around the school, okay?”**

 

**Taeyong quickly covered his eyes and gasped as Yuta casually dropped his towel.  A few minutes later he was finally clothed enough for Taeyong to take another look.  Yuta was stunningly beautiful; Taeyong had never really seen anyone quite like him.**

 

**“So… if you go to school here, that means you’re a mutant right?”**

 

**“That’s right!”**

 

**“Well, what power do you have?”**

 

**“I’ll show you,” Yuta said with another smile.  He held his hand out and there was a small spark before suddenly an open flame was hovering above his palm, “I absorb energy from the sun and then I can use it to do this! If I don’t release the energy often enough it builds up inside me and it can be dangerous,”**

 

**“That is… wow,” Taeyong was awestruck yet again, “That’s insane,”**

 

**“I think it’s pretty cool,” Yuta extinguished the flame by closing his hand, “Back home Mutants don’t have any rights, so thankfully I was able to move here and go to this school,”**

 

**“No rights? Man that’s intense,”**

 

**“Yeah…” Yuta trailed off like he was deep in thought, but he perked up again shortly thereafter, “Anyway, let me show you the school.  Then I can introduce you to the other members of Paragon Class,”**

 

**Taeyong nodded and followed Yuta out of the room.  They spent the next hour exploring the entire campus.  There was a pool, a theatre, basketball and tennis courts along with a building comprised entirely of classrooms.  There was also a large gymnasium-like building; Yuta didn’t show Taeyong the inside of it, but he said that the students called it the Danger Room.  Apparently it was a place where students could use their powers in drills that would help those with more destructive abilities get a handle on them.**

 

**It wasn’t long before the dinner bell rang, sounding off through the intercom all across campus.  Yuta brought Taeyong to the cafeteria, where both of them grabbed some food and headed to Yuta’s usual table.  There were a few other guys there; Taeyong assumed that they were also in Paragon Class.**

 

**“Hey Yuta! Is this your new roommate? He must be because he’s with you and I’ve never seen him before! Hi Yuta’s new roommate, I’m Mark Lee, but you can just call me Mark if you want!” a younger-looking guy with a bright purple headband jumped up from the table and jolted over to Taeyong faster than his eyes could follow.  He was bouncing up and down and he spoke almost entirely in one breath.**

 

**“Uh hi Mark, I’m Taeyong,”**

 

**“Taeyong this is the rest of Paragon Class.  Mark’s already introduced himself, his power is…”**

 

**“I generate electricity! It supercharges my whole body and I can move real fast or even shoot lightning bolts, isn’t that cool, it’s so cool right?” Mark cut Yuta off, still bouncing as he spoke.**

 

**“Yeah… anyway, that’s Jaehyun.  He can turn his skin to stone and it makes him really strong and tough,” Yuta continued.**

 

**The muscular brown-haired boy at the end of the table flashed a sweet smile, waving to Taeyong.**

 

**“The red head is Donghyuck.  His mutation is a bit obvious,”**

 

**That’s when Taeyong noticed the massive red-feathered wings on the young boy’s back.  They didn’t seem to be impeding his ability to sit down, but they were still extremely impressive.  Donghyuck simply nodded to Taeyong, not looking up from his plate as Yuta continued the introductions.**

 

**“And the serious-looking guy with the headphones, that’s Doyoung.  His powers change based on what kind of music he’s listening to at the moment,” Yuta explained.  Doyoung smiled softly and waved, though it appeared difficult for him to make eye contact for longer than a second.**

 

**“It’s nice to meet all of you,” Taeyong replied, taking a seat next to Yuta.**

 

**“So Taeyong what’s your power huh? I bet its something cool and awesome! Oooh can you read minds? Tell me what I’m thinking right now!” Mark said, his words blurring together as he spoke.**

 

**“I can’t do anything like that,” Taeyong said with a chuckle, “According to Headmaster Munroe, I’m unkillable.  She said that my cells can regenerate from any amount of damage,”**

 

**“Whoa that would make you Omega Level,” Yuta said, his expression changing to one of shock, “They said I had the _potential_ to be Omega, but I have to learn to control my powers first.  No wonder they put you in Paragon,”**

 

**“I guess it is pretty impressive,” Taeyong admitted.**

 

**“I think we all were a little afraid when we first arrived,” Donghyuck spoke up, “I can tell that you aren’t quite comfortable yet,”**

 

**“W-we should, um… we should make him feel welcome,” Doyoung replied, speaking in a soft tone, barely above a whisper.**

 

**“Tomorrow after class we can use the pool, I’m sure Mr. Summers would be okay with that,” Jaehyun suggested.**

 

**“Oh yeah definitely! We can have a pool party with snacks and music and everything to celebrate the new member of Paragon Class! It’s gonna be totally perfect oh my gosh I can’t believe I didn’t think of that! You’re so awesome Jaehyun!” Mark zipped around the table and pulled Jaehyun into a hug before jetting back to his seat.**

 

**“That does sound like fun! What do you think Taeyong?” Yuta asked, flashing that beautiful smile once more.  Taeyong couldn’t say no to him even if he wanted to.**

 

**“Sure, why not?”**

 

**“Awesome! I’m gonna go see if I can get Mr. Summers to approve our pool time!” Mark jumped up and ran away from the table so fast that it knocked his chair over.  Taeyong was starting to feel a bit more comfortable after meeting his classmates; they seemed nice enough.  Maybe his time at the school wouldn’t be as bad as he thought.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong gets to know his classmates better during a pool party. A dangerous threat begins to loom

**Taeyong smiled widely and grabbed another slice of pizza as he sat by the pool.  It had been a long day of classes and getting acquainted with the school, but it was really nice to be spending some time with his Paragon classmates around the pool, watching them talk and laugh.**

 

**“You’re not gonna swim Taeyong?” Yuta asked, finally coming out of the water for a minute, “Usually Doyoung’s the only one still dry when we hang out at the pool,”**

 

**“I’m not much into swimming,” Taeyong replied, “I’m fine with watching you guys,”**

 

**“Do you guys think I’m fast enough to run on water? I bet I am fast enough to do that, although I’ve never tried, maybe I should, do you guys think I should, I think I totally should,” Mark rattled off in one breath as he hopped out of the pool.  Everyone watched intently as purple electricity surged through his body before he prepared to run.**

 

**“M-Mark, I’m not sure if that is a g-good idea,” Doyoung mumbled, moving one of his headphones off his ear, “Your electricity could h-hurt the others in the water,”**

 

**Just as Mark took off, he slammed into a sudden wall of pink energy that materialized at the barrier of the pool.  Taeyong shifted his focus to Doyoung, whose eyes were glowing the same color as the energy barrier.  His music was turned up loud enough for Taeyong to hear what sounded like Mozart playing through his headphones.**

 

**“Ouch! What the hell Doyoung that really hurt!” Mark whined, rubbing his forehead.**

 

**“Oh shit, the electricity!” Jaehyun rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, “None of us considered that.  Nice save Doyoung!”**

 

**Doyoung blushed at Jaehyun’s praises as Mark continued to rub his head.**

 

**“He could’ve just warned me or something,”**

 

**“S-Sorry Mark,”**

 

**“So Taeyong,” Yuta sat on the white chair next to the one Taeyong was lounging in, “Did you learn anything new about your abilities in class today?”**

 

**“Yeah.  According to Professor McCoy, it’s likely that I can use my powers to manipulate other people’s cells as well as my own.  I’d just need to make physical contact,”**

 

**“That means you can heal other people too right?” Yuta excitedly asked, pulling up his shorts a bit to expose a nasty scar on his inner thigh, “Wanna test it out?”**

 

**“I don’t know Yuta, I probably shouldn’t.  I wouldn’t want to accidentally hurt you or something,”**

 

**“Yeah, yeah you’re right,” Yuta said, rolling his shorts down again, “Sorry Taeyong, I shouldn’t have asked that of you,”**

 

**“Don’t worry Yuta,” Taeyong assured him, “Do you mind if I ask how you got that scar?  It looks like it must’ve been painful,”**

 

**“It happened when I was leaving Osaka,” Yuta began, “It wasn’t a big deal or anything,”**

 

**“Well, as soon as I get a handle on my powers I’ll take care of that scar for you,”**

 

**Yuta couldn’t help but smile at that.**

 

**“Thank you Taeyong,”**

 

**“Yuta! Come show us your jet blaster move!” Jaehyun called from the water’s edge, a bright smile stretched across his face.**

 

**“Jet blaster?” Taeyong wondered.**

 

**“Oh, we all have a signature move that we’ve worked on, I’ll show you!” Yuta said, hopping up from the pool chair and walking to the edge of the pool (giving Taeyong quite the perfect glimpse of his plump ass, especially with the way his wet shorts clung to his skin).  Yuta stretched for a moment before taking a deep breath and putting his arms behind his back with his palms facing outwards, “Doyoung, put up a wall.  I wouldn’t want you and Taeyong getting fried by this,”**

 

**Doyoung quickly did as Yuta said, creating yet another energy barrier to shield himself and Taeyong.  Seconds later, there were quick sparks in Yuta’s palms before massive bursts of fire shot out from them, catapulting him clear over the pool and to the other side where he effortlessly dove into the water.**

 

**Taeyong was absolutely floored by this display of power; if Yuta could create a fire blast strong enough to send himself flying like that, Taeyong could only imagine what else he might be capable of.**

 

**“That never gets old! Seriously I’ve never seen anyone do anything like that how do you…” Mark’s rambling was cut off by Donghyuck putting a wet hand over his mouth.  Taeyong made a mental note of how, despite the fact that he was in the water, Donghyuck’s wings seemed to be dry.  Were they water resistant or something?**

 

**“Yuta’s pretty awesome huh Taeyong?” Jaehyun asked as he finally climbed out of the pool, taking Yuta’s spot next to Taeyong, “I can tell he impresses you by the way you watch him,”**

 

**Taeyong’s skin flushed as red as his brightly dyed hair at Jaehyun’s words; it seemed that his staring at Yuta’s ridiculous beauty hadn’t gone unnoticed.  Jaehyun took note of Taeyong’s blushing and smiled.**

 

**“Don’t worry, I won’t mention your obvious crush on him, assuming he hasn’t already noticed it,” Jaehyun said in a hushed tone.**

 

**“What are you two whispering about?” Donghyuck’s sudden voice startled both Taeyong and Jaehyun; both turning their heads to see the younger boy staring at them from the pool, his wet red bangs giving him quite the intimidating look despite his soft features.**

 

**“Nothing, nothing it’s just…”**

 

**“Chess!” Taeyong blurted out, “I was just telling Jaehyun about how I used to be in the chess club back home,”**

 

**“Chess club? Why would you need to whisper about that?” Donghyuck asked, clearly skeptical.**

 

**“Because I didn’t want everyone to think I was a nerd,” Taeyong said, not completely lying.  That was the whole reason he never told Johnny or Ten about it. Donghyuck simply rolled his eyes and continued swimming.**

 

**“Thanks for the save dude,” Jaehyun said softly, “I’m a shit liar,”**

 

**“Obviously,” Taeyong replied with a chuckle, “So you really don’t have any problems with, you know… me liking a guy?”**

 

**“Of course not! One thing you need to know about us in Paragon Class is that we’re basically one big Pride Flag,”**

 

**“Seriously?”**

 

**“Totally.  I’ve had a crush on Doyoung since my first day here, and Mark and Donghyuck are totally a thing even though they don’t think anyone knows.  Yuta apparently had a boyfriend back home, but he doesn’t like to talk about it so I wouldn’t bring him up,”**

 

**“I’ll keep that in mind,” Taeyong said with a sigh of relief.  If he didn’t feel comfortable around his classmates before, he definitely did now; they could understand him on a deeper level than just being a Mutant.  After a life of not feeling like he truly fit in with anyone, it seemed like he finally had a place to belong.**

 

**…**

 

**Taeil marched through the familiar hallways of the Circle of Purification Headquarters on his way to the lab.  His project was almost finished, it just needed a few more days of work.  He reached the secluded, dimly lit lab and sighed; he felt perfectly content among the concrete walls and the scattered mess of tools and scrap metal.**

 

**He narrowed his eyes on the humanoid robot in the center of the room.  It wasn’t powered on yet, but once it was those disgusting creatures that mankind generously referred to as “Mutants” would finally be destroyed.  The science community even had the gall to refer to them has Homo-Superior… superior? In what way was being born with freakish mutations _superior_ to being crafted in God’s own image?  **

 

**Taeil shook his head, disgusted by his own thoughts.  Even if the world around them was going to hell by moving closer and closer towards Mutant acceptance, he and the rest of the Circle of Purification knew that the curse needed to be cleansed; and what better way to accomplish that than the masterpiece he’d spent the last five years perfecting?**

 

**“Taeil,” a feminine voice rung out from behind him, “We’ve completed plans for the raid on Xavier’s Institute.  All we need is to be sure that The Sentinel will be ready for deployment by then,”**

 

**Taeil turned around, coming face to face with Kwon Yuri, one of The Circle’s founding members.  She was one hell of a commanding presence; her very existence radiated power.**

 

**“Yes ma’am, I just need to add the finishing touches to ensure that our weapon is fully operational,”**

 

**“Don’t rest until it’s done. Remember, just because you work for us doesn’t make you our equal.  You may have an inhuman intellect, but you’re still…”**

 

**“Cursed,” Taeil finished her sentence for her, having heard it far too many times.  He was well aware that he carried the same genetic anomaly that those Mutant monsters did.  But unlike them, he was repentant and that made him different.  It made him better.**

 

**Yuri smiled at Taeil’s defeated expression and strode out of the lab, leaving the younger boy alone with his work.**

 

**It was nearly time for those Mutants to meet their match.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The school finds itself under attack and Taeyong, Yuta and the rest of Paragon Class are caught in the crossfire

**Taeyong tossed and turned in his bed, trying his best to get comfortable.  He had a 7am class in the morning but despite his best efforts he just couldn’t seem to fall asleep.  The only sound in the room was that of Yuta’s light snoring blending with raindrops pelting the window over Taeyong’s head.  It was a peaceful night, but Taeyong couldn’t shake the feeling that at any second that peace would be shattered.  Deciding to give up on sleep, he climbed out of bed and decided to go get a snack or something.**

 

**“Taeyong? You alright?” Yuta’s voice sounded off just as Taeyong opened the door; it seemed that he was a light sleeper.**

 

**“Oh, yeah I’m fine,” Taeyong quietly replied, closing the door again, “I just can’t sleep for some reason,”**

 

**Yuta sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes before stretching.  He moved over slightly and patted the spot next to him.**

 

**“You can sleep in my bed if you want.  I used to have really bad insomnia as a kid and cuddling always helped,”**

 

**“You want me to… cuddle… with you,” Taeyong stuttered, trying to wrap his mind around what his roommate was asking him to do.  Yuta simply smiled and nodded, patting the bed once more, “Um, okay… sure,”**

 

**Taeyong tentatively made his way into Yuta’s bed, trying to fight his nerves as Yuta pulled the blanket over both of them and nestled in close, resting his head on Taeyong’s shoulder.**

 

**“You’re shaking,” Yuta said softly, his eyes still closed, “Why is that?”**

 

**“I…well, I just…”**

 

**“Could it be that you like me Lee Taeyong?”**

 

**Taeyong’s heart felt like it exploded in his chest when those words left Yuta’s lips; he wondered if his powers could heal that or not.**

 

**“Yuta… I,”**

 

**“It’s okay Taeyong,” Yuta replied with a giggle, “You’re not very good at hiding things, but I like that about you.  There are a lot of things I like about you,”**

 

**“R-really?”**

 

**“Really, I…” Yuta’s words were interrupted by a loud explosion sound from outside, startling both boys, “What the hell was that?”**

 

**Taeyong and Yuta jumped up from the bed and ran over to the window, trying to see what was happening outside.  Unfortunately it was raining pretty hard, so it was hard to make anything out.  Suddenly, an intercom crackled to life.**

 

**_“Students, this is Headmaster Munroe.  There are intruders on the premises.  The school is officially on lockdown.  Please remain in your rooms until…”_ **

 

**Taeyong’s blood ran cold when the message abruptly cut out.**

 

**“Okay, what the fuck is going on,” Yuta started pacing back and forth, “The school’s never got an alert like that before,”**

 

**“Do you think it could be an attack? I mean, there are a lot of people out there who don’t like Mutants,”**

 

**“If it’s an attack, then we need to be out there fighting! Not sitting in our rooms like a bunch of cows waiting to be slaughtered!”**

 

**“Yuta, relax okay?” Taeyong did his best to calm his roommate down, putting his hands on his shoulders, “I’m sure Headmaster Munroe and the other professors will keep everyone safe,”**

 

**Before Yuta could reply, a loud thunderous boom shook the entire dormitory.  Moments later, someone was vigorously banging on their door.**

 

**“Taeyong! Yuta! It’s me, Mark! You guys have to come out here something seriously dangerous is going on and I have no idea what to do!”**

 

**Taeyong frantically opened the door to see Mark standing there in his purple pajamas.  His skin was surging with electricity and he looked like he couldn’t keep still; even more so than usual.**

 

**“What’s going on Mark?” Yuta asked.**

 

**“I just ran around the campus and there are guys with guns everywhere and I swear there was a robot too! I barely made it back here without being seen!”**

 

**“A robot? You’re sure?”**

 

**“Completely totally absolutely sure! But there’s something else too!”**

 

**“What is it?”**

 

**“I overheard one of them say that they’re looking for Taeyong!”**

 

**Taeyong nearly collapsed upon hearing that revelation.  Armed attackers had shown up looking for him of all people? Was it somehow related to his parents’ political status, or could it have something to do with him being an omega level Mutant?**

 

**“They’re looking… for me?” Taeyong stuttered, still trying to wrap his head around the situation.**

 

**“We need to get you somewhere safe,” Yuta said sternly, “They’ll find us soon if we don’t get out of here,”**

 

**“Where are we supposed to go?” Mark asked, his eyes darting around as if he was just waiting for something to happen.**

 

**“I don’t know yet.  Just get everyone together and meet us near the Danger Room okay?” Yuta instructed, putting his hand on Mark’s shoulder (the electricity causing Yuta’s arm hairs to stand on end), “Stay safe,”**

 

**Mark nodded before zipping off down the hallway.**

 

**“Pack a few things in case we need to leave the school.  Don’t take longer than a few minutes alright?” Yuta instructed.**

 

**“Leave the school? But…”**

 

**“We don’t have time Taeyong, just trust me,” Yuta took Taeyong’s hands in his own and looked him in the eyes, “I’ve been through something like this before, and if we stay here it’s gonna get bad,”**

 

**“O-okay Yuta,” Taeyong conceded, quickly moving for his drawers and hastily packing a backpack.  Once he and Yuta were packed, they slowly made their way out into the dark hallway.  Yuta went out ahead of Taeyong, peeking around the corner and hovering a small flame over his hand for light.  The coast was clear, so they carefully snuck out of the dormitory and started heading across campus in the direction of the Danger Room.**

 

**The campus felt like something out of a horror movie; the tension in the air could practically be cut with a knife.  Up until that point, they hadn’t seen any intruders, but the knowledge that they weren’t alone was enough to get Taeyong’s blood pumping.**

 

**“Stay quiet, I hear something,” Yuta whispered, motioning for Taeyong to follow him.  They crept around a corner and arrived at the tennis court, where Taeyong could hear sounds of a struggle.  He narrowed his eyes on the court and saw another student wrestling with an adult man carrying an assault rifle.  The man flipped him over and jammed what looked like a needle into his neck, drawling a sample of blood before pushing the boy down and aiming his gun, “Oh shit!”**

 

**Without thinking, Yuta sprang into action; unleashing an explosive blast of fire that collided with the man, sending his clothes up in flames.  The man released blood curdling screams as his skin burned and blistered, but eventually he collapsed to the ground in a motionless heap.**

 

**Taeyong rushed over to the student and helped him stand.**

 

**“Are you alright?”**

 

**“I… I think so.  Thank you guys for helping me out,” the boy wiped his tears, “I tried to fight him off with my powers, but I don’t have enough control yet.  I feel like a failure,”**

 

**“Hey, you’re not a failure,” Yuta assured him, “You’re Jungwoo right? From Hellion Class?”**

 

**“Yeah,”**

 

**“That’s the number two class in the whole school! You’ve gotta be pretty powerful if you were placed there,”**

 

**“Well, I guess you’re right,”**

 

**“Of course I am.  Listen Jungwoo, you need to get to safety alright?” Yuta urged him.  Jungwoo nodded.**

 

**“I’m heading back to my room now.  You guys be careful!” Jungwoo said in his soft voice before heading off in the opposite direction.  Taeyong could only hope that he would be okay.**

 

**“What do you think they wanted with his blood?” Taeyong wondered aloud.**

 

**“No idea, but we need to keep moving,” Yuta said, “Let’s go,”**

 

**The boys kept moving until they got closer to the Danger Room.  They’d almost made it, but the sound of an explosion stopped them in their tracks.**

 

**“Another explosion, it sounded like it came from the faculty housing wing,” Yuta quickly ran off in that direction, “We need to see if anyone’s hurt!”**

 

**Taeyong was close behind Yuta, but they both stopped in awe when they arrived at their destination.  The sight before them was unlike anything they’d ever seen; all of their teachers were gathered there along with Headmaster Munroe, and they appeared to be fighting… a 10 foot tall, metallic purple robot with glowing red eyes.**

 

**“Holy shit, Mark wasn’t kidding,” Taeyong mumbled.**

 

**The robot moved with extreme speed, dodging laser blasts from Mr. Summers’ eyes with ease.  Professor McCoy had transformed into what looked like a werewolf with blue fur, (probably the strangest mutation Taeyong had seen thus far) and while he appeared to have significant strength in this form, he still wasn’t strong enough to overpower the robot.  It easily lifted him into the air and sent him flying into Mr. Summers, knocking them both out cold in an instant.  After they were down, it quickly moved on to Ms. Frost.**

 

**Ms. Frost’s pale skin had been entirely covered in diamonds that were durable enough to withstand multiple punches from the robot, but even she couldn’t stand up to it forever.**

 

**“Ororo, do your thing while you have the chance!” Ms. Frost yelled as the robot’s fist collided with her armored face.  Headmaster Munroe simply nodded before her eyes started to glow a bright white.  The wind picked up dramatically and she levitated into the air, a single crack of thunder ringing out as she did so.  Moments later, a bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, colliding with the robot in yet another brilliant explosion.**

 

**Taeyong and Yuta shielded their eyes as the robot was hit.  Ms. Frost was sent flying into the nearest wall, but in her diamond form she was protected, though the force of it all still left her unconscious.  One the smoke cleared, Taeyong expected there to be nothing left of the robot… but instead it stood tall, its eyes glowing brighter than ever.**

 

**“What the fuck is that thing made of?” Yuta gasped as the robot stomped towards Headmaster Munroe, pulling her out of the air by her leg and slamming her into the ground with enough force to knock her out, “It just took out all of the faculty’s heavy hitters in about two minutes.  We need to get the fuck out of here before it notices us,”**

 

**Just as Yuta finished speaking, the robot turned its attention to them.  It appeared to be scanning them for a moment before its eyes blinked green twice.**

 

**“Target acquired: Lee Taeyong.  Status Omega. Engaging target,” the robot said in an unnaturally deep voice.  Without a second thought Taeyong and Yuta ran as fast as they could for the Danger Room, quickly ducking inside before the robot could catch up to them.  Just as Taeyong felt some relief, there was a hand on his shoulder, causing him to let out a high-pitched scream.**

 

**“Taeyong, calm down! It’s us!”**

 

**Taeyong put a hand on his chest to calm himself once he realized it was only Jaehyun and the others.  Everyone was still in their pajamas, looking tired and disheveled.**

 

**The Danger Room itself was large and spacious; with more than enough room for obstacle courses and targets to be set up.  Overhead was a skylight that could be opened for various purposes.**

 

**“W-we decided to wait for you t-two inside,” Doyoung muttered softly, “Now we are all here, w-what should we do?”**

 

**“We need to go, now!” Yuta said, still trying to catch his breath, “that robot that Mark saw just took out all the teachers and now it’s coming after us! The only way we’ll be safe is to leave the school,”**

 

**“Leave? But where are we supposed to go?” Donghyuck asked.  No one had a chance to answer before something started banging on the Danger Room doors hard enough to dent them.**

 

**“No time, we just need to get out!”**

 

**“We can go up and out!” Jaehyun suggested, pointing up at the skylight, “Doyoung can carry me, Donghyuck can carry Mark and Taeyong can get on Yuta’s back,”**

 

**“I’ve never tried sustained flight before,” Yuta said, sounding cautious.  The banging continued, this time starting to crack the metal doors, “but I guess now’s as good a time as any,”**

 

**“Open the skylight and let’s get the hell out of here!” Donghyuck ordered.  Mark’s body surged with electricity as he zipped across the room and flipped a switch, retracting the glass panels of the skylight and making a clear exit path.**

 

**Doyoung popped in his headphones and started playing what sounded like an upbeat gospel song.  Bright yellow energy surrounded his body and his eyes started to glow as Jaehyun held onto him tightly.  Moments later he was floating up towards the open skylight.**

 

**Mark was in Donghyuck’s arms as the redhead flapped his massive wings, creating a draft that was almost strong enough to knock Taeyong down.  They took off after Doyoung, leaving Taeyong and Yuta alone in the Danger Room, just as the robot finally burst through the doors.**

 

**“Taeyong, now!” Yuta screamed.  Taeyong jumped on his back as Yuta performed an even stronger version of his signature jet blaster move, sending them rocketing out of the Danger Room in a blast of flames and heat.  Taeyong felt like he was strapped to a space shuttle as he and Yuta flew into the air, blasting past both Doyoung and Donghyuck; it appeared that Yuta only had one speed, and that was full throttle.**

 

**Taeyong held on for his life as Yuta tried his best to steer them in his desired direction.  He had no idea where they were going, or why that robot and those guards were targeting him, but one thing was clear...**

 

**Things were about to get wild.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On the run from whatever attacked them, the boys find shelter in an abandoned warehouse

**“This place is definitely… quaint,” Jaehyun said as the boys made their way into the abandoned warehouse.  Apparently, it was used as a place to make illegal alcohol during the prohibition era, but now it was little more than a run-down building at the mercy of time.  Most of the windows had been broken and the lock on the door was so rusted that all it took was a slightly forceful kick from Yuta to get the thing open.**

 

**“Quaint? This place is a shithole,” Donghyuck replied with a sigh, “but at least we should be safe here for a while,”**

 

**“R-reminds me of home,” Doyoung said, finally turning his music down a little, “not a good memory,”**

 

**“There’s no time for us to get comfortable,” Yuta said, moving to the center of the room large room, “we need a plan if we’re gonna stay alive.  Those people want Taeyong for some reason and they’re not gonna stop searching for him,”**

 

**“Don’t you think we should rest first? I mean, we’ve been running all night to get here,” Jaehyun replied.**

 

**“I said there’s no time Jaehyun,” Yuta snapped, glaring at the other boy with a particular fire in his eyes that Taeyong had never seen before.  Ever since they’d left the school he’d been on edge, more so than any of the other boys.**

 

**“Come on Yuta,” Mark whined, speaking slowly for what was probably the first time since his powers manifested, “my body is totally drained of all energy,”**

 

**Yuta sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead in frustration.**

 

**“Fine, we’ll rest up for tonight but we need a plan first thing in the morning,”**

 

**“Let’s check out the rest of the place and find somewhere to sleep,” Donghyuck suggested, heading off with the other boys through the warehouse.  Taeyong decided to stay behind with Yuta; he needed to find out exactly what was bothering him so much.**

 

**“Yuta, we should talk,” Taeyong said, pulling up an empty barrel and motioning for Yuta to sit down.**

 

**“I’m fine,” Yuta assured him, waving him away, “go ahead with the others,”**

 

**“You’re clearly not fine Yuta,” Taeyong shook his head, “Please just tell me what’s going on.  Maybe I can help out in some way,”**

 

**Yuta scoffed and sat down on the barrel.**

 

**“There’s not much you can do to help.  I’m just… this was all supposed to be over,”**

 

**“What do you mean?”**

 

**“I never told you exactly why I left Osaka,”**

 

**“I thought maybe your parents sent you here to go to school since Mutants don’t have rights in Japan?”**

 

**“You don’t understand,” Yuta took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a long moment before continuing, “the reason that Mutants don’t have rights there is _because_ of my parents.  Both my mom and dad are founding members of the Circle of Purification; they believe that all Mutants are cursed and they endanger the safety of humanity,”**

 

**“Yuta I…”**

 

**“That’s not all Taeyong,” Yuta cut him off, sounding like he was choking back tears as he spoke, “I’m almost sure that the Circle of Purification are the ones that are after you right now.  I just don’t know why,”**

 

**“Well, if you know so much about them does that mean you know how to escape them?”**

 

**“Escape?” Yuta scoffed, “there’s no escaping them Taeyong; they have like, infinite resources and connections.  We probably won’t even be safe here for much longer,”**

 

**“God damn it,” Taeyong sighed, leaning against the cracked wall behind him.  This entire situation had rapidly become a shit show, and he had no idea what he was supposed to do about it, “we can’t just sit around and wait for them to find us and do… whatever the hell the wanna do to us,”**

 

**“There’s only one potential way out of this,” Yuta finally replied after a long moment of silence, “the Circle of Purification has to go down,”**

 

**“Go down? You mean like…”**

 

**“Yeah.  We have to find a way to take out the entire organization.  It’s the only way we’re gonna stay safe,”**

 

**“So a bunch of high school kids are gonna take down an international organization? Sounds easy,” Taeyong joked, although there was little humor in his voice.  Still, Yuta couldn’t help but smile a little.**

 

**“You’re so cute when you try to be funny,” Yuta replied, running a hand through his hair; he was still obviously tense.**

 

**“Thanks,” Taeyong could feel his cheeks getting warm as he started blushing.  He’d probably never get used to Yuta’s compliments.**

 

**“I should be the one thanking you,” Yuta moved a bit closer to Taeyong, resting his head on the other boy’s shoulder, “You had no reason to stay behind and listen to my problems, but you did anyway,”**

 

**“Of course I had a reason… I… like you, remember?” Taeyong’s voice was shaky, but there was no point in hiding his feelings any longer. Yuta simply looked up at him and smiled before planting a soft kiss on his cheek.**

 

**“You really are something Lee Taeyong,” Yuta said softly, “Now let’s go, we should rest up while we can.  Tomorrow we’re going to be gathering some information on the Circle of Purification so we can try to make a plan,”,**

 

**“Sure thing,” Taeyong agreed, following Yuta deeper into the warehouse.  The other boys were already asleep; spread out across one of the more spacious rooms and using old cardboard boxes as sleeping mats.  It certainly wasn’t comfortable, but they had no other choice at the moment.**

 

**As Yuta pulled two boxes together for them to sleep on, Taeyong couldn’t help but think of what Yuta had said earlier.  The idea of Mutants being cursed had certainly crossed his mind a few times; it was hard not to feel that way when their powers were the reason for the mess that they were in.  Headmaster Munroe described their powers as “gifts” but what kind of gift would send a group of high school kids on the run? All he could do was hope that there was some end in sight soon, and that they could survive the ordeal.**

 

**After all, what good was being unkillable if it led to the deaths of all his friends?**


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In order to gather the information they need, the group needs to attend an Anti-Mutant Rally

**Taeyong winced as sunlight shined through the broken window across from him. At first he had no idea why his entire body was sore, but after a couple of seconds he remembered that he was sleeping on a cardboard box in the middle of a concrete floor. The entire previous night seemed like a horrible dream, but waking up in the warehouse reminded him that it was depressingly real.**

 

**He sat up (hearing his back make a sound that mildly worried him) and looked around the room. The other boys were already gone, which made Taeyong jump up from his position. With everything they’d been through, he couldn’t help but be worried about them. He rushed out of the room to find them, breathing a sigh of relief when he found the group gathered around a makeshift table in the next area.**

 

**“Good morning Taeyong!” Jaehyun cheerfully said with a wave.**

 

**“I-is everything alright?” Doyoung mumbled, raising a concerned eyebrow.**

 

**“Yeah,” Taeyong took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, “yeah everything’s fine. I was just worried about you guys, that’s all,”**

 

**With that, Yuta made his way over to Taeyong and gave him a quick hug.**

 

**“You’re sweet, but there’s no need to worry, we’re all fine. It’s just that you were sleeping so soundly and I know you were tired so I figured we’d let you rest while we talked strategy,” Yuta explained. Taeyong nodded and joined the group around the table.**

 

**“So, what’s our plan?”**

**“Well firstly, we need to gather information on these guys,” Donghyuck spoke up, his large wings twitching with anxious energy, “maybe find their base of operations or something?”**

 

**“That’ll be next to impossible,” Yuta replied, “the Circle of Purification operates on a cell structure,”**

 

**“What’s that mean? I mean I think I know what that means but I have no idea really. Like ‘cell’ is such a broad term you know?” Mark startled to ramble, but Donghyuck quickly clamped a hand over his mouth to shut him up.**

 

**“By cell structure, I mean that they have multiple operations running at once. Each cell only has enough information to complete their own designated task. That way, if someone takes them down they won’t be able to get enough information to affect the larger organization,” Yuta elaborated.**

 

**“That’s insane,” Jaehyun shook his head, “then how the hell are we supposed to make any progress?”**

 

**“We’ll need administrator access. If we can find one of the Circle’s computers, I might be able to get us in to their network. From there I can find a list of locations that might eventually lead us to their main base,”**

 

**“You seem to have a lot of info on these guys,” Donghyuck crossed his arms and trained his eyes on Yuta, “something you’re not telling us?”**

 

**“Honestly,” Yuta began, pausing briefly to regain his composure before continuing, “there _is_ something that I’ve kept from everyone besides Taeyong. Guys… my parents are part of this organization,”**

 

**“What?!” Jaehyun gasped. Donghyuck’s eyes widened and for once it seemed that Mark was speechless.**

 

**“I’m sorry I didn’t mention it sooner, it’s just that I was trying to leave my past behind and it wasn’t until now that I realized it wouldn’t be that simple,”**

 

**“You shouldn’t have kept this from us,” Donghyuck shook his head, “what if they have some way to track you or something?”**

 

**“They did, but not anymore,” Yuta said with a sigh, pointing to the spot on his inner thigh where his scar was, “I got rid of it the night I left Osaka. Trust me, if they could find me, they would’ve come to the school a lot sooner,”**

 

**“It’s okay Y-Yuta,” Doyoung said, “we all have things we don’t want to r-remember about our past,”**

 

**“Doyoung’s right. Being Mutants has fucked us all over in some way or another. Yuta’s parents hated him for the way he was born, I paralyzed my best friend with a lightning bolt by accident when my powers first kicked in,” Mark started, shaking his head as if it would cause the memory to go away, “and don’t even get me started on Donghyuck, his mom tried to…”**

 

**“Shut up Mark,” Donghyuck practically hissed, instantly silencing the other boy.**

 

**“Don’t worry Yuta, we won’t hold it against you. Sorry for the way I reacted, it just wasn’t quite what I expected you to say,” Jaehyun said. Yuta nodded and Taeyong patted his shoulder supportively.**

 

**“You said something about accessing one of their computers,” Taeyong finally interjected, trying to steer the conversation back on track, “how can we find one?”**

 

**“We can attend one of their Anti-Mutant rallies,” Yuta suggested, “the speaker will likely have a laptop that can connect to the main network with admin access,”**

 

**“That sounds _great_ ,” Donghyuck sarcastically replied, “are you seriously suggesting that I go around a bunch of Anti-Mutant assholes? I’m not exactly like the rest of you. I have giant wings that I can’t really hide in case you forgot,”**

 

**“Look I know it’s not the most exciting plan ever, but it’s the only thing that’s gonna work. Besides, I have an idea that won’t require you to be seen by anyone,” Yuta explained, causing Donghyuck to hum with interest.**

 

**“Okay, I’m listening,”**

 

**…**

 

**“This place is literally the worst,” Jaehyun mumbled as the boys shuffled through the massive, tightly packed crowd. Taeyong thought that the hour-long bus ride into Manhattan would’ve been the most annoying part of this little excursion, but the Anti-Mutant rally was somehow even worse than it sounded.**

 

**All around them were people wearing shirts with crudely drawn cartoon monsters (likely meant to represent Mutants that couldn’t pass for human) being hung from trees. Others had signs with bigoted rhetoric like _“They will never replace us!”_ or Taeyong’s personal ‘favorite’, _“They could be ANYONE!”_**

 

**“I feel… unc-comfortable,” Doyoung mumbled, his eyes shifting around rapidly. Jaehyun tried to comfort him by putting an arm around his shoulders.**

 

**“Calm down Do, it’s gonna be alright. We won’t be here for long. Why don’t you turn up your music?” he said in a soft, calming voice. Doyoung shook his head and pulled the cord of his headphones out of his pocket, revealing that they weren’t plugged into anything.**

 

**“My phone died,”**

 

**“I think I may be able to give it a charge once we’re somewhere safe! I’ve never really attempted it before but Professor McCoy said that if I can focus my power enough I should be able to…” Mark began, but he was quickly cut off by Yuta.**

 

**“Dude be quiet! You can’t let anyone hear you talking about that stuff,”**

 

**“Oh yeah… sorry,”**

 

**“We’re almost up front. How will we know when Donghyuck is in place?” Taeyong wondered aloud.**

 

**“He said he’d text me the moment he was ready for our little diversion,” Yuta clarified.**

 

**“I sure hope this works,” Jaehyun said, the nerves evident in his voice. Just as they reached the front, Taeyong bumped into someone wearing a familiar looking sky-blue hoodie. He couldn’t place where he’d seen it before, but the moment the person turned around to face him he instantly recognized them.**

 

**“Ten? Oh man, what are you doing here?” Taeyong asked, almost afraid to hear the truth. On one hand, he _was_ happy to see Ten again after being shipped off following the accident. He didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to Ten or Johnny. But on the other hand, Ten being at an Anti-Mutant rally didn’t exactly bode well for the future of their friendship.**

 

**“Tae…Yong? No way, no way! We thought you were…”**

 

**“Dead?” Taeyong finished his sentence, his eyes dropping to the ground for a moment, “yeah, I was,”**

 

**“You were? Like, past tense? What the hell happened, and where have you been?!” Ten wondered with wide eyes. Taeyong sighed, knowing he’d have to come clean.**

 

**“Taeyong, don’t tell him anything,” Yuta leaned in and whispered, almost as though he’d read Taeyong’s thoughts, “if he’s here, it means he’s not on our side,”**

 

**“Yuta, he’s one of my best friends. I trust him,” Taeyong assured the other boy before turning back to Ten, “well, it turns out that I’m a Mutant. My parents sent me upstate to go to a special school,”**

 

**“You’re… a Mutant?” Ten seemed confused for a moment, but suddenly his face lit up and he pulled Taeyong into a tight hug, “that’s perfect!”**

 

**“Huh?”**

 

**“I’m one too,” Ten said in a hushed tone, causing Taeyong’s heart to skip a beat from shock.**

 

**“You are? Wait, how long have you known? And if you’re one of us, then why are you at this rally?”**

 

**“I’ve known since I started puberty, about three years ago,” Ten explained, “I’m only here because my parents are. They’re not exactly the most accepting,”**

 

**“That’s awful,” Taeyong shook his head, “well, we’re kind of in the middle of something important, but once it calms down I totally think you should come to our school. It’s a place where people like us can just… exist. Plus they can teach you how to hone your abilities,”**

 

**“That sounds amazingly perfect,” Ten said with his signature bright smile, “running away from home is a scary idea, but it might be worth it,”**

 

**“I’m sorry to interrupt you guys,” Yuta cut in, “but Taeyong, Donghyuck just texted me. We’ve gotta get ready for the distraction,”**

 

**“I’m sorry Ten, I’ve gotta go. But seriously think about what I said alright?”**

 

**“Sure thing Taeyong. I’m just glad to know that you’re okay,” Ten said, waving goodbye as Taeyong and the others kept moving to the front of the crowd. Once they had a clear view of the stage, Yuta set his plan in motion.**

 

**“Alright Mark. As soon as the speaker starts his speech, I need you to discreetly disrupt the visuals behind him,” Yuta said. Mark nodded, “Once he’s distracted by that. Donghyuck will swoop down, grab his laptop and take off into the air before anyone can even react,”**

 

**“Then we can finally get the hell out of here,” Jaehyun said.**

 

**“Brothers and sisters!” the speaker’s voice blared over the loudspeaker the moment he took the stage. Taeyong grimaced; he looked like a used car salesman in a cheap suit and way too much hair gel. But regardless of how ridiculous he looked, his message was still incredibly dangerous, “thank you all for joining us here today! The Mutant scourge on this planet continues to grow and grow! The Census Bureau believes that Generation Z has a higher popualtion of Mutants than any previous generation!”**

 

**The crowd erupted with shouts of discontent.**

 

**_“Those fucking monsters!”_ **

 

**_“This society is going straight to Hell!”_ **

 

**_“It’s a sign of the end times!”_ **

 

**“Now, now my brothers and sisters! Please, be at ease!” the speaker tried his best to reassure the crowd, “the Circle of Purification has a plan to finally rid the world of Mutantkind, not by killing them, but by ridding them of their curse!”**

 

**“Ridding us of our curse? Does he mean…” Jaehyun began, but Yuta finished his sentence.**

 

**“They want to find a way to cure the Mutant Gene,”**

 

**“That’s insane! Any potential cure would likely result in death. Biologists figured that out ages ago!”**

 

**“Mark, now would be a good time to shut this down,” Taeyong said, gritting his teeth; he couldn’t stand another minute of this. Mark nodded and his eyes drifted to a set of large cords on the other side of the barrier in front of them. They seemed to be connected to the projector screen behind the speaker, as well as the audio system. When he was sure no one was looking, he stuck his index finger out, firing a short, thick beam of purple electricity at the tangled mess of cords. Seconds later, they started to spark wildly, causing the sound and visual systems to malfunction just as Yuta had planned.**

 

**“It worked! Donghyuck should be swooping in any minute now,” Yuta said, his eyes glued to the sky overhead. Surely enough, a winged shadow passed overhead as Donghyuck soared towards the target. He swooped down in a spiral, going for the laptop that was set up behind where the speaker was talking. The crowd roared with outrage at the sight of him, but there was nothing anyone could do to stop him. Right before he reached the goal, everything seemed to go wrong…**

 

**The deafening sound of a gunshot resonated through the area, and suddenly Donghyuck twisted out of control, crashing into the stage with incredible force. Taeyong’s jaw dropped and his heart started pounding in his ears; this was certainly not how the plan was supposed to go.**

 

**“Oh my god, we need to get up there, now!” Mark said, his body surging with electricity as he rocketed through the flimsy barrier and up onto the stage.**

 

**“Well shit. Looks like the secret’s out. Let’s get up there!” Yuta immediately ran after Mark with the other boys following close behind.**

 

**“The Mutant menace is among us!” The speaker shouted, getting the entire crowd into a frenzy. Taeyong ignored them and ran over to check on Donghyuck. He was unconscious, but still breathing thankfully. There was a clear bullet wound in his torso though; Taeyong had no idea who fired the shot. It could’ve been any of the disgusting bastards at the rally. He just knew that they needed to leave as quickly as possible.**

 

**“Everybody stay back!” Jaehyun yelled as the crowd started getting closer to the stage. His skin started to shift and harden as he activated his power, covering his entire body in a gray, rocky armor.**

 

**_“He’s threatening us!”_ **

 

**_“Don’t let him intimidate you! They can’t take all of us!”_ **

 

**“He said stay the fuck back,” Yuta growled, covering his entire forearms in flames (and ruining his shirt in the process), “guys, we need to be making an exit!”**

 

**“How are we all supposed to escape? Doyoung doesn’t have music and Donghyuck’s out cold! Without two of our fliers, there’s no way we can get out of here,” Jaehyun said, forcefully pushing back on of the rioters as the tried to climb onto the stage.**

 

**“I can get you guys out of here!”**

 

**Taeyong turned around to see Ten jumping up on the stage and running over to the group.**

 

**“Ten, what can you do?”**

 

**“Just tell me where you want to go,” Ten said, “quickly!”**

 

**“We were staying at an abandoned warehouse. I think it was on the corner of Lieber Drive and Kirby Street,”**

 

**“Got it,” Ten said as the veins in his face and arms started to glow pink. The pink light built up in his hands and then he threw what looked like a dagger made of energy through the air. The dagger stopped and hovered in place before expanding into a portal. When Taeyong looked through it, he could see the interior of the warehouse as though he was looking through a doorway.**

 

**“Holy shit…” Taeyong mumbled, “thank you Ten. You should come with us!”**

 

**“I can’t, if I go through the portal myself it’ll take too long to close. You guys go, I’ll be fine!” Ten assured them. Taeyong knew he didn’t have time to argue, so he simply nodded and helped Mark carry Donghyuck through the portal. Doyoung, Jaehyun and Yuta were right behind them. Taeyong caught one last glimpse of Ten on the stage as the entire rioting crowd quickly overwhelmed it. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread as the portal closed, leaving the boys in the warehouse, completely unaware of Ten’s fate.**

 

**“He probably saved our lives just now,” Yuta said solemnly, taking a deep breath, “you said he was one of your best friends?”**

 

**“Yeah,” Taeyong replied, trying not to think the worst, “he’s a great guy,”**

 

**“Clearly. We owe him a lot,” Jaehyun agreed, “I just wish we could’ve got our hands on that laptop,”**

 

**“I g-got it,” Doyoung said, placing the laptop on the ground in front of Jaehyun, “everyone was busy so I took it,”**

 

**“Perfect! Now we just need to get some bandages and stuff for Donghyuck. We don’t want him bleeding out,” Jaehyun replied.**

 

**“No need, Taeyong, this is a perfect chance to test out your healing abilities,” Yuta said, holding Taeyong’s shaking hand, “I know you can do it,”**

 

**Taeyong sighed and nodded, moving over to Donghyuck and taking the younger’ boys shirt off (it was the first time he’d noticed the giant holes cut into the back to accommodate his wings). He placed his hands on the bullet wound and closed his eyes. He focused as much as he could and his entire body started to glow a faint blue color. Professor McCoy told him to think about life itself when trying to heal, so he pictured plants growing, and water flowing as well as the bright sunshine. His mind wandered to babies being born and even the dawn of the universe itself. When he opened his eyes again, Donghyuck’s wound had been completely healed, and the bullet that was lodged inside was now sitting in Taeyong’s palm.**

 

**“It worked! That’s so amazing!” Mark shouted, pulling Taeyong into a hug, “thank you so much for saving him. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost him,”**

 

**“No worries Mark. I won’t let anything happen to any of you,”**

 

**“Now that Donghyuk is going to be okay, we can focus on cracking this laptop,” Yuta said, opening the device.**

 

**Taeyong had an all-new resolve now. It was clear that the Circle of Purification themselves weren’t the only dangerous psychopaths out there, but their followers were as well. If he wanted to truly be safe, they’d have to create a world where Mutants could stand on equal footing with humans. It was the only way to ensure lasting peace.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuta gets into the Circle of Purification's systems and the group starts to organize a plan

**“Finally!”**

  


**Yuta’s sudden outburst caused Taeyong to jolt up from his seated position. It had been hours since they arrived back at the warehouse after the rally, and Yuta had been trying his best to access the Circle of Purification’s network the entire time. The boys were all scattered around the warehouse trying to sleep, except for Mark who was still at Donghyuck’s side.**

  


**“What happened Yuta?” Taeyong wondered aloud, hovering over Yuta’s shoulder and trying to make out what he was seeing on the screen.**

  


**“I managed to get into the network! There’s no concrete location listed for the main base of operations, but quite a few of their top personnel work at the Alchemax Building in Queens,” Yuta explained, “it’s likely that Alchemax is nothing more than a front for the Circle’s true dealings,”**

  


**“So then that’s the place we need to take down,” Jaehyun sleepily replied, rubbing his eyes, “sounds simple enough,”**

  


**“Not if that robot thing is gonna be there,” Taeyong mumbled, remembering the damage it caused back at the school.**

  


**“I’ve seen that Alchemax place when I lived in Queens,” Mark said, slowly combing his fingers through Donghyuck’s hair in a way that wouldn’t wake the winged boy, “the building is fucking huge man! We’re gonna need one hell of plan if we’re gonna bust inside,”**

  


**“So let’s make that plan,” Taeyong said, determined, “what kind of security can we expect Yuta?”**

  


**“Well usually I’d say basic armed guards, but there was a bit of a hiccup. They know we have the laptop which means they might be suspecting that we’re coming for them. I can almost guarantee that robot thing will be there,” Yuta replied. Taeyong couldn’t help but notice the slight trembling in his voice; it was clear that he was a bit shaken up by the thought.**

  


**“You guys said that thing beat all of our teachers and Headmaster Munroe. What are we supposed to do to defeat it?” Jaehyun asked.**

  


**“W-well,” Doyoung began, casually wiggling his feet which were hanging over the edge of the large crate he was lounging on, “if Taeyong and Y-Yuta saw it fighting them, maybe we c-can use what they learned to h-help us,”**

  


**“Unfortunately we didn’t learn much,” Yuta shrugged, “it seemed to ignore everything they threw at it,”**

  


**“Wait,” Taeyong mumbled as the gears in his head started to turn, “it didn’t ignore _everything_ ,”**

  


**“What do you mean?”**

  


**“Those laser blasts from Mr. Summers! The robot was dodging them instead taking them head on like it did with every other attack.” Taeyong elaborated.**

  


**“So do you think that a direct hit would have seriously damaged it or something?”**

  


**“It’s possible. How hot do those lasers get?” Taeyong asked no one in particular.**

  


**“I remember Mr. Summers saying they’re hot enough to melt tungsten. But I don’t know an exact temperature,” Jaehyun said.**

  


**“6,192 degrees F-Fahrenheit,” Doyoung quickly responded.**

  


**“Wow, that’s insanely hot. Hotter than any fire I could ever produce,” Yuta shook his head, “I’m not sure if we could ever stop that thing,”**

  


**“There is actually more,” Doyoung continued, “tungsten is a-actually kind of weak. It can break easily from strong impacts and you guys said it t-took hits from the strongest teachers we have. It h-has to be an alloy or something,”**

  


**“I uh, I don’t know what an alloy is,” Jaehyun admitted with a shy giggle.**

  


**“Ugh you guys are so loud,” Donghyuck groaned, his eyes still closed, “trying to recover from a gunshot wound over here!”**

  


**“Oh whatever, Taeyong totally healed you from that. You’re just taking a nap at this point,” Yuta rolled his eyes.**

  


**“A very important nap,” Donghyuck replied, “and an alloy is like a combination of different metals to make a new, stronger one. Headmaster Munroe compared the texture of my wings to a metallic alloy,”**

  


**“It is most likely a c-combination of tungsten for the high melting point, titanium for the st-strength, and chromium for its hardness,” Doyoung explained.**

  


**“So it’s basically indestructible then,” Taeyong tapped his fingers against his thigh anxiously.**

  


**“Well its still a machine right? If we can’t blow it up, maybe we could make it malfunction? Like a computer or something? It probably runs on electricity so I could maybe like mess with its systems or something,” Mark suggested.**

  


**“That just might work,” Taeyong said with a nod, “so when are we gonna attack the base?”**

  


**“We should probably do it as soon as we can,” Yuta said, “so everyone should rest up,”**

  


**“Wait I just had a thought!” Mark excitedly interjected, “if we’re gonna be infiltrating a base secret agent style, I think we’ll need badass codenames!”**

  


**“Codenames?” Jaehyun giggled a bit, “for what exactly?”**

  


**“So they can’t track our families down or something like that! Come on guys, it could be really cool!”**

  


**“Fine, fine calm down,” Yuta said, “we’ll pick codenames,”**

  


**“Sweet! I wanna be… Megavolt! No that’s dumb… what about, Spark? No… uh, Surge! I like that, one! Surge, final answer!” Mark practically beamed.**

  


**“I like, Rockslide,” Jaehyun said with a shy smile.**

  


**“M-Mixtape,” Doyoung spoke up.**

  


**“Just call me like… Wing-Boy or something, I don’t care,” Donghyuck said with a disinterested shrug.**

  


**“That’s awful! What about Angel? Oh, or Icarus! Like that Greek mythology guy!” Mark suggested.**

  


**“Whatever, Icarus is fine,” Donghyuck sighed.**

  


**“I like the sound of Elixir,” Taeyong said, “it reminds me of when I used to play Dungeons and Dragons with my friends back home and they’d always ask for an elixir to heal them,”**

  


**“Okay wait, you were worried about chess club making you sound nerdy when you used to play D &D?” Donghyuck teased.**

  


**“Oh shut up! We were kids back then, it was socially acceptable!”**

  


**“What about you Yuta?” Jaehyun asked, raising a curious eyebrow.**

  


**“I was thinking… Sunfire. It was the name of my grandfather’s fighter planet back in World War 2. I think it suits me,” Yuta replied.**

  


**“Oh man, this is gonna be so sweet! We sound like a real team now!” Mark was so excited that his eyes were starting to glow bright purple as he spoke.**

  


**“Mark, this isn’t all fun and games,” Taeyong said, more sternly than he probably meant to, “Yuta and I saw what that robot is capable of. We’re all in very serious danger,”**

  


**“No way,” Mark scoffed, “if anything happens to us, you can heal us right up no problem!”**

  


**“That actually might not be possible,” Taeyong shook his head, “it’s not quite confirmed but Professor McCoy theorized that my own cells regenerate all on their own, and while I can influence the cells of other people to do the same, I won’t have the same level of control,”**

  


**“What exactly does that mean?” Jaehyun wondered.**

  


**“It means that I’ll definitely be able to heal you guys from injury, like I did with Donghyuck… but I might not be able to save you if you die,”**

  


**“So we’ll have to be extra careful then,” Yuta said with a solemn nod, “at least we have a plan,”**

  


**Taeyong could only nod in reply. He was happy that this was all almost over with, but he couldn’t ignore the dread hanging over him; that robot could easily kill them all, and they’d have to be at the top of their game if they hoped to succeed.**

  


**…**

  


**_“It means that I’ll definitely be able to heal you guys from injury, like I did with Donghyuck… but I might not be able to save you if you die,”_ **

  


**_“So we’ll have to be extra careful then.  At least we have a plan,”_ **

  


**Taeil watched the screen in front of him intently, rolling a pen between his fingers as the audio played. On the screen was a detailed map, with a green dot placed on the corner of Lieber Street and Kirby Drive. Those disgusting Mutants had managed to steal a laptop belonging to the Circle of Purification, but hey hadn’t considered the fact that accessing the network would mean disclosing their location and recording their conversations.**

  


**“We know exactly were to find them,” Yuri said with a wicked grin, “I promised The Council that we would have results for them by the end of the month. If our Sentinel captures Taeyong, how quickly can you synthesize the serum?”**

  


**“The formulas have already been calculated. I will be able to get results within a few hours,” Taeil coldly replied.**

  


**“Excellent. Our strike team will mobilize soon. In the meantime, I want you to write me a detailed power profile on all of our new test subjects that have just been delivered. I hear that one of them can create portals. They could prove to be useful,”**

  


**With that, Yuri left Taeil’s small workspace, leaving him alone with his thoughts once again. Deep down, he regretted that he’d have to do this. Mutants were inherently vile creatures, but why couldn’t they just recognize that? The moment he found out about his Mutant gene, Taeil instantly dedicated his life to finding a cure. Why couldn’t the rest of Mutantkind just accept that they were lesser, and submit to the authority of humanity? Instead they paraded themselves around as though they should be admired. It was sickening. Thankfully, soon enough there would be a cure.**

  


**All he needed to do was wait for Yuri to make her move.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong and Yuta are ambushed by the Sentinel and a difficult decision must be made...

**Taeyong sat on the rooftop with his legs swinging over the ledge, staring up at the stars in the night sky.  The rest of the guys were fast asleep in the warehouse below, but he couldn’t bring himself to get any rest; his mind simply couldn’t stop wandering.  He still worried for Ten, but he also couldn’t help but wonder if his parents had been notified about him going missing from the school.  Were they scared? Did they have police searching for him? He couldn’t know, but he could only hope they weren’t too worried.**

 

**“Hey Taeyong, you okay?”**

 

**The sudden sound of Yuta’s voice caused Taeyong to flinch a little, but he regained his composure rather quickly as the other boy took a seat next to him.**

 

**“Oh yeah, I’m fine.  Just having trouble sleeping again,”**

 

**“Yeah, me too,” Yuta said with a sigh, resting his head on Taeyong’s shoulder, “you know, this whole situation reminds me a lot of the night I escaped Osaka,”**

 

**“Yeah?”**

 

**“Yeah. I had just found out about what my parents were doing, and I made it my personal mission to free as many Mutants from the experimentation pods as I could,”**

 

**…**

 

**_TWO YEARS EARLIER_ **

 

**_Yuta moved through the metallic metal hallways with purpose, heading for the primary control room.  He was moving so quickly that his earpiece threatened to fall out._ **

 

**_“Yuta, can you still hear me?” the voice in his ear said calmly, as though they weren’t both doing the dumbest thing of their young lives.  That was what was comforting about him though; he always managed to stay calm no matter what._ **

 

**_“Yeah Hansol, I hear you loud and clear,” Yuta quickly replied, “now which direction is the control room?”_ **

 

**_“Take the upcoming left and go up the stairs.  Once you’re there I can hack into the keypad and get you inside,”_ **

 

**_Yuta smiled to himself; having a boyfriend like Hansol certainly made his mission a hell of a lot easier.  He followed the directions exactly as he was told, but he couldn’t help feeling that it was weird that he hadn’t run into any guards yet.  It was the Circle of Purification’s base of operations in Osaka after all; he thought he’d be in for more of a fight, which was the whole reason Hansol had stayed outside and was communicating through earpiece._ **

 

**_“Alright Sol, I’m here,” Yuta said, “pop open the door for me,”_ **

 

**_Yuta waited for a moment, but he never got a reply from Hansol._ **

 

**_“Sol? Hansol, can you hear me? Fuck, what’s going on?” Yuta shook his head.  Maybe there was some kind of signal blocker on the upper floors? Whatever the case may have been, he needed to get into that room somehow.  And so, he placed his entire hand on the pin pad and closed his eyes.  After a few moments of focusing, he was able to generate enough heat to melt the device, causing the door to unlock due to the malfunction.  He mentally cursed the fact that such a small display of power made him feel nauseous; would he ever reach his full potential as a Mutant?_ **

 

**_He slowly opened the door, gasping when he was met with a room full of armed guards; well, that certainly explained where all the guards were.  Yuta instantly froze, raising his hands in the air._ **

 

**_“You shouldn’t have come here son,” the voice of Yuta’s father echoed through the large room as he slowly entered, shaking his head in disapproval, “things cannot end well,”_ **

 

**_“I can’t just stand by and let you guys do this! The experiments you’re doing are killing Mutants!”_ **

 

**_“A necessary sacrifice!” Yuta’s father snapped, “we are looking for a way to liberate them… to liberate you, from your cursed existence,”_ **

 

**_“Cursed? Is that really what you think of us?”_ **

 

**_Yuta’s father didn’t reply, he only rose his hand to signal the guards.  Seconds later, they pushed Hansol into the room, holding his arms behind his back.  Yuta gasped in shock; they must’ve found him hiding in the van outside the building…_ **

 

**_“Yuta, I don’t care what they do to me! Just get out of here so you can free the others later!” Hansol pleaded, but Yuta shook his head._ **

 

**_“No… I won’t leave you here, I can’t!”_ **

 

**_“Just go Yuta!”_ **

 

**_“Come calmly Yuta.  It would be better for us if we didn’t have to kill him,” Yuta’s father said._ **

 

**_Yuta clenched his fists, feeling them heat up immensely.  The guards stared in shock as the orange glow of his hands slowly traveled up his forearms, causing his sleeves to smoke and burn as the heat continued to overtake his body.  The tips of his bangs burst into flames and his entire body was glowing like a miniaturized sun in the middle of the room._ **

 

**_“Such a shame.  Take him down,” Yuta’s father coldly ordered.  The guards instantly opened fire, but their bullets turned to cinders before they could even make contact with Yuta’s searing hot skin.  Yuta rose his hands, preparing to unleash an unrivaled blast of fire… but it wouldn’t materialize, no matter how hard he pushed himself._ **

 

**_“Damn it, it isn’t working!” Yuta screamed, still trying his hardest to no avail.  Instead of trying to shoot Yuta again, the guards turned their guns on Hansol._ **

 

**_“Stand down Yuta, or he will die,”_ **

 

**_“Yuta, I know you don’t want to do this, but you have to let me go and get out of here,” Hansol said as calmly as possible, flashing a wink at Yuta that meant he was probably about to do something stupid.  Seconds later, a loud bang sounded off as what looked like fireworks started popping throughout the room.  Hansol was always extremely reluctant to use his Mutant power; the fireworks he generated were pretty harmless, but they caused great strain to his body._ **

 

**_The guards were completely shocked, firing their guns wildly in every direction.  Yuta knew he had to take his only opportunity to escape.  He gave Hansol one final, longing look before darting out of the room and down the hallway as quickly as his legs would carry him…_ **

 

**_…_ **

 

**“So that’s what happened to your boyfriend,” Taeyong said, “Yuta… I’m so sorry,”**

 

**“Thanks,” Yuta quickly replied, “Sometimes I hope that he’s still alive somehow, but I know better,”**

 

**“There’s nothing wrong with having hope Yuta,” Taeyong assured him, “it’s honestly the only thing keeping me going on this little mission of ours,”**

 

**“You’re sweet.  You know, I didn’t think I’d be able to fall for anyone else after losing Hansol.  But you’re special Taeyong,”**

 

**“Special? It’s because I can’t die right?” Taeyong joked, earning a playful shove from Yuta.**

 

**“No! It’s because you always manage to make me smile, no matter what,”**

 

**Taeyong smiled widely, but before he could reply, something odd happened…**

 

**The sky above them seemed to shift in place as a familiar looking pink ring appeared from nowhere; it looked exactly like the portal Ten created to get them out of danger.**

 

**“What the hell… Yuta watch out!” Taeyong pushed Yuta aside just as something massive dropped down from the sky and crashed into the rooftop, kicking up a wall of dust.  Taeyong was knocked backwards by the impact, landing hard on his back.  He squinted to see through the dust and nearly wet himself when the silhouette of the towering robot that attacked the school came into view, “holy shit,”**

 

**The machine turned to face Taeyong, stretching out its massive hand to grab him.  He struggled to move, (his back had taken more damage than he’d realized) but he managed to scuttle out of the way just before it made contact.  It didn’t seem like it was trying to hurt him; from what Taeyong had seen, it could do that easily if it wanted to.**

 

**“Taeyong, get clear!” Yuta’s voice cut through the haze, forcing Taeyong to ignore the pain he was feeling and scurry out of the way.  A blast of fire collided with the side of the robot, causing it to stumble for a second before its gaze shifted to Yuta.  The robot moved extremely quickly, preparing to smash Yuta with its fists, but instead its metallic hands crashed into a wall of pink energy.  Taeyong turned his head to the rooftop’s entrance to see Doyoung standing there, his eyes glowing pink and the sound of classical music blasting through his headphones.  The others were there with him; they must’ve been awakened by the sound of the robot crashing into the rooftop.**

 

**“Oh shit!” Mark gasped, electricity surging through his body, “I’m going in for the attack, keep it busy!”**

 

**With that Mark rocketed off across the roof, leaving the others to distract the robot.  Doyoung quickly changed his music to a hardcore rock song, causing his hands to glow with red energy.  Seconds later he was firing devastating concussive blasts that pelted the robot’s armored exterior.  The blasts kept the machine from getting too close, but they didn’t seem to be doing much damage.  Jaehyun’s skin started to harden into its rocky form before he moved behind the robot, wrapping his stone-solid arms around it to further subdue it.**

 

**“Mark, do it now!” Jaehyun commanded.  Mark jolted back into view from his unseen hiding place and fired off a steady, white-hot stream of electricity.  It hit the robot hard, and it seemed to mess with its programming for a split second… but there was absolutely no lasting effect.**

 

**“It’s not working?” Taeyong was completely confused, but the reality of the situation hit him like a ton of bricks in the worst possible way, “oh no… it must have a nuclear power core,”**

 

**In the same second that he had that realization, the robot broke free of Jaehyun’s grip, seemingly also breaking his right arm in the process.  It grabbed him by the neck and sent him flying clear across the rooftop, slamming into Doyoung and leaving them both in an unconscious heap.  After that, its focus changed to Mark.  Donghyuck jumped into action, soaring into the air and reaching Mark before the robot did.  He closed his bright red wings around the other boy, shielding him from the robot’s fists.  Donghyuck screamed with every punch though; Mark may have been safe, but it was clearly causing him a lot of pain.**

 

**Yuta’s forearms burst into flames before he started pelting the robot’s backside with fire blast after fire blast.  Still, it didn’t seem to stop the robot’s focus on Donghyuck and Mark, and if his blasts were any stronger then they might hit his friends.   Eventually, the robot broke through Donghyuck’s guard by completely denting his left wing inward, causing him to release a shrill cry of pain.  The robot pulled his wings apart, making Taeyong’s skin crawl at the sound of them almost tearing from Donghyuck’s back.  It grabbed Mark by the throat and lifted him high in the air, before slamming him into the ground at full force, instantly knocking him out cold.  Donghyuck was already passing out just from the pain and exertion, but the robot still kicked him in the face with its colossal foot, putting him down without protest.**

 

**Taeyong stood in utter shock, almost completely unable to move.  His friends were on the verge of death and it was all because this insane killer robot was after _him_.  He had to do something, and since his powers weren’t very offensive, there was only one thing he could think of…**

 

**“Stop!”**

 

**The robot stopped in its tracks and turned to face Taeyong.**

 

**“Just, take me back to whoever sent you here,” Taeyong said softly, “stop hurting my friends, _please_ ,”**

 

**“Taeyong… no…” Yuta’s eyes widened, tears welling up in them as the robot marched towards Taeyong.**

 

**“Yuta, I… well, you know how I feel about you,” Taeyong said solemnly as the massive robot approached him.**

 

**The robot grabbed the red-haired boy in a bear hug and held him tight, making it hard for him to breathe as it launched itself upward, into the portal that it came through.  Less than two seconds later, the portal closed and a deafening silence settled over the area.**

 

**Yuta stood on the rooftop amidst his unconscious friends, completely in shock.  He had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do, and for the first time since he left Osaka he felt completely and totally hopeless…**


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuta manages to rally the other members in the face of their crushing defeat, while Taeyong finds out exactly what the Circle of Purification's plans entail

**Yuta paced back and forth across the warehouse floor as the other boys sat there in silence. They were all still reeling from the loss of Taeyong and the injuries they suffered in their last battle. Donghyuck’s left wing was dented and therefore basically useless, Jaehyun’s arm was fractured and Mark was suffering from a concussion that was messing with his ability to sustain an electric charge. He knew he couldn’t just leave Taeyong; he’d already lost Hansol, and he’d never, _ever_ let that happen again.**

 

**“We can’t just sit around here feeling sorry for ourselves,” Jaehyun spoke up, finally breaking the silence, “we know where their base is, why don’t we go and save Taeyong before they really hurt him?”**

 

**“Because if we do that, we’re gonna die,” Donghyuck harshly replied.**

 

**“I hate to say it, but he’s right,” Yuta said, “if we just go to the Alchemax building, they’ll know we’re coming and they’ll kill us easily. We’re not even considering the fact that most of us are injured. We’ll need one hell of a plan to pull this off,”**

 

**“I… h-have an idea,” Doyoung said softly, “but it is really dangerous,”**

 

**“What is it?” Mark replied, holding his throbbing head.**

 

**“Headmaster Munroe t-thinks that my power can tear holes in reality if it isn’t properly c-controlled. That’s why she recommended m-music as a control mechanism,” Doyoung explained, “but without the music, my p-power will be unlimited, but also uncontrollable,”**

 

**“What… what exactly are you saying Doyoung?” Jaehyun rose a curious eyebrow as he spoke.**

 

**“If I use my f-full power, I might be able to overwhelm them and give you guys a chance to s-save Taeyong,”**

 

**“That’s actually a pretty good plan,” Donghyuck said.**

 

**“What? You realize that could possibly kill Doyoung right? We can’t risk that!” Jaehyun vehemently protested.**

 

**“Jaehyun I know you have an attachment to Doyoung, we all do. But you have to understand the risks at play here. The Circle of Purification wants to cure the Mutant gene. Doing that wouldn’t only strip us of our powers and identities, but in some extreme cases it could even kill certain Mutants. Something about Taeyong seems to be the key to accomplishing their goal, so we have no choice but to stop them by any means necessary,” Yuta said sternly. Jaehyun clearly wasn’t happy, but he didn’t argue any further.**

 

**“Can we really do this?” Mark said, a hesitant tone to his voice, “I mean, we’re all alone and we’ve already lost once,”**

 

**Before anyone said anything else, Yuta stood at the front of the room.**

 

**“Listen, it’s just us now. No teachers, no rules. It’s scary and it’s kinda fucked up, but I believe we can do this you guys,” Yuta was resolute, balling his fists with determination as he spoke, “I don’t give a single fuck what the Circle of Purification or anyone else says about us. We’re not cursed, we’re gifted,”**

 

**One by one, the other boys stood up; standing together despite the pain from their injuries.**

 

**“Man, you give one hell of a pep talk,” Mark said with a smile.**

 

**“I still don’t wanna risk anything happening to Doyoung, but we don’t have a choice but to fight,” Jaehyun said, “now let’s hurry and get to Queens before it’s too late,”**

 

**Yuta nodded and cracked his knuckles; it was time to get to work.**

 

**…**

 

**Taeyong’s eyes shot open as he jolted awake. He instantly surveyed his surroundings and noticed that he was in some kind of dark, disgusting cell with a smudged glass wall instead of bars. He wasn’t alone; another young man was in there with him, but he couldn’t quite see them clearly.**

 

**“Where the hell am I?” he groaned. The other boy gasped and turned around, bathing his face in just enough light for Taeyong to see his face, “wait, Johnny? Is that you?”**

 

**“Taeyong, dude you’re awake! Thank God!” Johnny pulled Taeyong into a tight hug.**

 

**“What are you doing here dude? Are you a Mutant too?”**

 

**“Yeah, apparently I am,” Johnny’s expression noticeably darkened, “I didn’t even know I was, but apparently these guys found out and they kidnapped me. They did some weird shit to me to activate my Mutant gene, and now… well, now I can do stuff like this,”**

 

**Johnny held out his hands and suddenly the entire cell started to get cold. Moments later, a thick layer of ice had covered his hands and arms, and even his hair had turned white and brittle like icicles.**

 

**“Oh man, that’s insane. First Ten, now you too,”**

 

**“Oh that reminds me, they got Ten too! I saw him when they were bringing us all in here, but they flagged us for some reason and he wasn’t brought to the holding cells like everyone else,” Johnny explained. Taeyong nodded; they must’ve found a way to force him into teleporting that robot to the warehouse.**

 

**“Do you know what happened after I got here? I don’t remember anything after that robot grabbed me,” Taeyong asked.**

 

**“Robot?”**

 

**“Long story,”**

 

**“Okay, well all I know is that they brought you in here and you were all drugged up and unconscious. Apparently they’d just taken a sample of your blood or something? That’s all I heard from the guards,” Johnny continued to explain.**

 

**“A blood sample? That can’t be good. We need to find a way to get out of here,”**

 

**“Don’t you think I’ve tried?” Johnny tapped against the glass wall in front of them, “this thing is impenetrable,”**

 

**“We built it to withstand all Mutant abilities on record,” a sudden unfamiliar voice cut in. Taeyong and Johnny’s eyes drifted to the room’s entrance, settling on a young man that seemed to be close to their age.**

 

**“We? Aren’t you a bit too young to be a part of the Circle of Purification?” Taeyong asked.**

 

**“Perhaps. But my Mutant curse has given me one of the greatest minds on the planet. It is only right that I spend my cursed existence trying to cure those like me,” the young man replied, “now Mr. Lee, you’ll be coming with me,”**

 

**“Like hell I will,”**

 

**The young man simply shook his head, pressing a button on the bracelet attached to his wrist. Suddenly, Taeyong and Johnny’s bodies seized up as an electric current ripped through them. It was only then that Taeyong noticed the tiny chip imbedded in his neck. Once they were completely incapacitated, the young man opened the cell and dragged Taeyong out. He pulled him across the floor and into the next room (which looked suspiciously similar to an operating room) before strapping him to a cold, metal table.**

 

**“Try not to keep resisting, it’ll only make this take longer,” the young man said once Taeyong was secured. As he went to turn around, Taeyong noticed the small nameplate on his loose grey shirt.**

 

**“Taeil… you said you’re one of the greatest minds in the world,” Taeyong spoke up, his voice trembling, “does that mean you’re the one that built that robot thing?”**

 

**“It is called the Sentinel,” Taeil quickly corrected him, “and yes, it is my creation,”**

 

**“Why are you doing this? You’re a Mutant, just like me! You should take pride in that,”**

 

**“Pride?!” Taeil quickly turned back around, abandoning whatever it was he was doing before, “how on Earth could I take pride in carrying something as vile as the Mutant gene?”**

 

**“You think its vile? Taeil, it’s the thing that makes us special! When I first found out about my powers, I was freaked out. But these powers have allowed me to make new friends and finally find a place where I belong! Don’t you want that?”**

 

**“A place to belong…? A Mutant, a _disgusting_ Mutant like myself has no place to belong,” Taeil said through clenched teeth, tears welling up in his eyes, “all I can do is use my curse for the greater good,”**

 

**“It’s not a curse,” Taeyong remained steadfast, “if it was, you wouldn’t have such high intelligence. With that brainpower you could cure cancer or create a source of limitless energy for the world. You don’t need to waste your gift on the bullshit the Circle of Purification is making you do. They’re just _using_ you Taeil. They see you as the same Mutant garbage they wanna get rid of,”**

 

**“And they’re not wrong to see me in such a way,” Taeil quickly retorted, “I am nothing but an instrument for their greatness,”**

 

**“If they were so great, they wouldn’t need a Mutant to do the hard work for them,”**

 

**Taeil paused for a moment, his eyes widening as if he was considering Taeyong’s words. Despite that, he shook his head and turned around once more.**

 

**“You know nothing. Just stay quiet so I can focus on completing the sample,”**

 

**“Sample?”**

 

**“The first dose of the Hope Serum; the cure for the Mutant gene. Your DNA was the final key. Your ability to heal from anything held the basis of what we needed to override the Mutant gene once and for all,” Taeil explained, “ironically enough, you will be the first test subject,”**

 

**“So that’s why you’ve been after me. How did you even know about my powers?”**

 

**“Long ago I hacked the database of that Mutant school to see if there were any students that could be used for our experiments. Once we obtained the data on you, I knew you’d be the one,”**

 

**“Taeil!”**

 

**Taeyong tried to raise his head to get a look at the new, feminine voice in the room, but he could barely move with how tightly Taeil had secured him.**

 

**“Yes ma’am?”**

 

**“Is the sample complete yet? I’m nearly ready to start the broadcast,” the woman said.**

 

**“Broadcast? What broadcast?” Taeyong demanded. The woman ignored him.**

 

**“Only a few moment’s ma’am. I will finish it soon and we will be ready for the demonstration,”**

 

**“Actually, you won’t be present for it,” the woman said callously, “once you’re done with that serum, you will have officially outlived your usefulness to us,”**

 

**Taeil stopped in his tracks and Taeyong’s breath hitched in his throat.**

 

**“I… I beg your pardon?” Taeil stammered.**

 

**“You devoted your life to the Circle of Purification, and that devotion has paid dividends for us. But alas, you’re still a Mutant, and that is not something we can overlook,” the woman said, “you have thirty minutes to finish the sample and test it. Don’t fail,”**

 

**With that, she left the room.**

 

**“Taeil… this is exactly what I was trying to…”**

 

**“SHUT UP!” Taeil’s shrill voice cut through the room like a knife, instantly silencing Taeyong, “The Circle of Purification picked me up off the streets when I was a only a child, they gave me shelter and a purpose. They showed me that even though I was cursed, my life could have meaning! If that meaning has to end like this then… then so be it!”**

 

**“Taeil… your life’s meaning can’t be decided for you by someone else, you have to discover it for yourself! Clearly they don’t care about you, they never have! Despite everything you’ve done, sending that Sentinel after me and hurting my friends and teachers… I still think that there’s more out there for you than this. A better future for you! Help me get out of here and I can get you back to the school,”**

 

**“You have no idea what you’re talking about!” Taeil was clearly forcing back tears as he spoke, “they are simply doing what needs to be done!”**

 

**Taeil turned to face Taeyong, now holding a syringe filled with a cool blue liquid.**

 

**“This… this is for the greater good,” Taeil said as he approached Taeyong with the serum, preparing to inject it into his veins. Taeyong could only close his eyes in grim anticipation as the needle got closer and closer…**

 

**And then, he felt the prick.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Paragon Class assaults the Alchemax Building, and Taeyong has a... strange reaction to the cure

**Yuta looked up at the massive Alchemax building from a rooftop across the street, impressed by just how tall it was. It was a beautiful shining tower of glass and metal; completely out of place in Queens, but still stunning nonetheless.**

 

**“There it is,” Jaehyun said softly, standing behind Yuta, “this is really it huh?”**

 

**“Yeah,” Yuta replied, “Taeyong’s in there somewhere. We should probably find him before Doyoung lets loose on the place,”**

 

**“I can find him quickly. If I go in at full speed then I can tell you exactly where he is,” Mark suggested.**

 

**“If you go in alone there’s no doubt they’ll find you and kill you,” Donghyuck said.**

 

**“Then the rest of us should make some noise out here to distract them until he can locate Taeyong,” Jaehyun suggested, moving closer to Donghyuck, “but we’re gonna need your help for that flyboy,”**

 

**“What the fuck are you… ah!” Donghyuck yelped in pain as Jaehyun covered his skin in rock armor and forcefully pushed the dented part of his wing. It hurt like hell, but it seemed to pop everything back into place, thus restoring Donghyuck’s ability to fly, “what the hell man?!”**

 

**“I’m sorry! We can’t afford to have you out of commission, especially when I’m dealing with a broken arm here,”**

 

**“You’re an asshole, you know that?”**

 

**“Focus you two,” Yuta said, “Mark, get ready to go,”**

 

**“Ready!” Mark eagerly replied, electricity surging through his body. Yuta’s hands burst into flames and he narrowed his eyes on the generator on the side of the building that seemed to be its main power source. With a well placed fire blast he was able to fry it, shutting down the power instantly.**

 

**“Alright, they’ll probably be sending a security team out here to see what happened. Mark, get inside and find Taeyong. Call us the second you do,” Yuta instructed.**

 

**“Will do!” Mark said before rocketing off towards the building.**

 

**“Everyone else, be ready for a fight…”**

 

**…**

 

**Mark zipped through the hallways of the Alchemax building, narrowly avoiding the scrambling groups of guards as he went. It was difficult for him to even see anything; the backup generator was active, but it bathed the hallways in a red light that still made it difficult to tell where he was going, especially when he wasn’t familiar with the layout of the building. Eventually he found his way to the 13 th floor… and he wished he never had.**

 

**The 13 th floor seemed to be a cross between a torture chamber and an experimentation laboratory. Young mutants were strewn about; some restrained and unconscious, others completely dissected. Mark had to shield his eyes to avoid vomiting before preparing to run to the next floor; he couldn’t stay there any longer.**

 

**“Please… someone help me…” a weak voice echoed through the space, stopping Mark just before he ran off. He ran around the area until he found the source of the voice; a young man strapped to a table and hooked up to an IV drip. It only took Mark a few moments to recognize the boy as he unstrapped him from the table.**

 

**“Wait, you’re Ten right? Taeyong’s friend that helped us out at the rally!”**

 

**“Y-yeah,” Ten tiredly replied, “they captured me right after that brought me here. They pumped some weird liquid into my blood that activated my powers against my will. They just used me to send that robot to find you guys,”**

 

**“Well I’m gonna get you out of here, but you’ve gotta help me find Taeyong first,”**

 

**“They probably have him on the 17 th floor. That’s where they keep Mutants they have plans for.”**

 

**“Awesome! Thanks Ten! Can you walk?” Mark asked, helping Ten stand up.**

 

**“Yeah, I think I can,” Ten said, limping alongside Mark. Mark pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed Yuta’s number.**

 

**_“Hey, did you find him?”_ Yuta answered; his voice almost being drowned out by the sounds of gunfire and explosions in the background.**

 

**“I found his friend Ten and he says that Taeyong is likely on the 17 th floor. That robot is probably up there too, so I’m gonna wait for you guys before heading up,” Mark quickly explained.**

 

**_“Okay. Well, we’re kind of in the middle of something but we’ll be up as soon as possible!”_ **

 

**“You guys need any help out there? Yuta? Yuta?! Damn it, he hung up. It sounded really bad, I think we should try to help them,” Mark said, clearly nervous.**

 

**“Tell me where they are. I can open a portal and get them inside to safety,” Ten said, closing his eyes to focus.**

 

**“You sure you have enough energy for that? I don’t want you to hurt yourself,”**

 

**“I think I have one more left in me,” Ten said with a small smile.**

 

**…**

 

**Yuta ducked behind a large air conditioning unit as bullets flew through the air. He was expecting guards to find them, but not an entire small army’s worth. They came out of nowhere and flooded the rooftop in a matter of seconds.**

 

**Doyoung was busy using a pink energy wall to protect himself from bullets, while Donghyuck had his wings wrapped around himself to shield him. Jaehyun on the other hand was walking through gunfire like it was nothing; letting the bullets bounce off his rock-hard skin. He only had use of one of his arms, but that was still enough to pound the living shit out of any guard that got too close to him.**

 

**Yuta prepared to conjure up a devastating fireball, but before he could, a pink portal opened up right in front of him. Through it he saw Mark and Ten standing in what looked like a laboratory.**

 

**“Guys, let’s get the hell out of here!” Yuta yelled over the sounds of carnage. He shot a stream of flames into the air to distract the guards long enough for the other boys to make a mad dash for the portal. Once they were inside, Yuta jumped through himself, giving Ten just enough time to close it before the guards made it through.**

 

**“Thanks Ten, you saved our asses yet again,” Jaehyun said with a smile that looked a bit creepy due to his current rocky state, “glad to see you’re safe,”**

 

**“We can have our reunion later. For now we should get up to the 17 th floor and save Taeyong,” Yuta said, “let’s get moving,”**

 

**…**

 

**Taeyong felt weaker than he ever had in his entire life as he sat on the floor of the cell with Johnny. He had an extremely high fever, and he was hyperventilating uncontrollably. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but he feared the worst; the cure serum was probably killing him.**

 

**“Hang in there Taeyong, I’m doing everything I can,” Johnny said. He was keeping his ice-covered hands on Taeyong’s head to try and bring down his temperature.**

 

**“Johnny,” Taeyong said, fighting through his shudders, “if… if I die, I need you to help my friends shut this place down,”**

 

**“Taeyong don’t talk like that! You’re not gonna die, you’re gonna be fine,”**

 

**“Just promise me you’ll do it Johnny,”**

 

**“I… I promise,”**

 

**Before Taeyong could say anything else, the power suddenly went out, causing the room to be bathed in the red light of the backup power.**

 

**“W-what’s happening?” Taeyong mumbled.**

 

**“I don’t know. But just focus on trying to feel better alright?” Johnny said, still trying to cool Taeyong down. It wasn’t long before Taeil came back into the room, flanked by an entire team of armed guards.**

 

**“It looks as though your friends have come to rescue you. Unfortunately they’ll be killed soon,” Taeil said shaking his head, “it’s a shame. They could’ve been cured,”**

 

**“Taeil, you can still end this… please,” Taeyong managed to choke out. Taeil simply shook his head.**

 

**“Yuri is about to start the broadcast to our various investors to prove to them that our cure works. A new dawn is about to begin,”**

 

**“But before that she’s gonna kill you, and you’re perfectly okay with that,”**

 

**“…Yes, I am,” Taeil said, after a slight moment of hesitation.**

 

**“Then I guess I really can’t get through to you after all,” Taeyong sighed, resigned.**

 

**“You are something special Lee Taeyong. You would try and save the soul of someone such as myself,” Taeil said with a slight giggle, “it’s truly interesting,”**

 

**“It’s b-because you’re a Mutant like us. But you’re so brainwashed that you’d die for this cause,”**

 

**“I’m not here for a philosophical argument. I’m here to bid you farewell. You deserve that much, at least,” Taeil said softly before turning and exiting the room, leaving Taeyong and Johnny alone in their cell once more.**

 

**Taeyong quickly felt himself slipping into consciousness despite Johnny’s best efforts to keep him awake and alert. As he passed out, the only thing he could feel was an overwhelming sense of failure. He let himself be captured to protect his friends, but now they were risking their lives to come and save him and they’d likely be killed. He failed to sway Taeil to his side and now he was going to die knowing that it was all for nothing… or so he thought.**

 

**Just as his eyes fluttered closed, he heard Johnny’s voice. He sounded somewhat distant, as though he was standing at the end of a far hallway, but the amazement in his tone was clear.**

 

**“Taeyong… you’re glowing?!”**


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Taeyong's incredible power boost, Paragon Class prepares to make their final stand against the Circle. But Taeyong plans to save Taeil's soul in the process

**Yuta ran through the various cellblocks of the 17 th floor, trying to commit them to memory for later while also desperate to locate Taeyong.**

 

**“Should we split up? We might find him faster that way?” Jaehyun suggested as the group moved together.**

 

**“Yeah, I could probably search this entire floor in like 30 seconds,” Mark replied.**

 

**“No,” Yuta immediately shot them both down, “if any of us run into that robot alone we’re gonna die.  Plain and simple.  We stay together,”**

 

**“Wait a second, what’s that?” Donghyuck asked, stopping in his tracks.  He was pointing up ahead at a faint blue glow that could been seen from around the corner.**

 

**“I have no idea, but its worth checking out.  Everyone be careful though alright?” Yuta said as the group slowly moved ahead.  They rounded the corner and were faced with an entirely new block of cells, but one of them was emitting a nearly blinding blue light from within, “what the hell _is_ that?”**

 

**“Is someone there?” a familiar voice said from the direction of the cell.**

 

**“Taeyong? Is that you in there?!” Yuta excitedly asked.**

 

**“It is, I’m here!”**

 

**“I’m so glad we finally found you! Are you okay? What’s up with the light?” Yuta wondered as they group approached the cell, letting him see Taeyong a little more clearly.  His skin was lit up like a spotlight and his hair appeared to be standing on end.**

 

**“I can’t be sure, but I think it has something to do with my powers.  They injected me with the cure, but instead of suppressing my Mutant gene, I think it enhanced it,”**

 

**“Enhanced it?” Jaehyun asked, “how can that even be possible?”**

 

**“I don’t know, but look at this,” Taeyong said, holding his hand out.  Within moments, Jaehyun’s broken arm started to glow the same color as Taeyong’s skin and before he knew it, he was completely healed.**

 

**“Holy shit, he’s right.  He healed me in seconds without even touching me,” Jaehyun said with a gasp.**

 

**“That’s incredible.  Maybe we’ll actually have a fighting chance against the robot now.  Let’s get you out of that cell,”**

 

**“You can’t,” the other guy inside with Taeyong finally spoke up, “the glass is indestructible.  I tried to freeze my way out the moment I got here,”**

 

**“I can get them out,” Ten offered, stepping to the front of the group.  He threw one of his pink energy daggers in midair and opened a portal to the interior of the cell, allowing Taeyong and the other boy to simply step through it, “see, easy,”**

 

**“No wonder they didn’t keep you on this floor,” Mark teased.**

 

**“Thank you so much Ten.  I’m so happy you’re safe,” Taeyong said, pulling his friend into a hug, “guys, this is Johnny.  Another friend of mine from back home,”**

 

**Johnny and Ten were clearly already familiar with each other since they embraced almost instantly.  Unfortunately the happy moment was ruined when the red lights of the backup generator abruptly cut out, replaced with a fluorescent glow that signified that power had been restored.**

 

**“Well shit, it won’t take them long to find us now,” Yuta said, shaking his head.**

 

**“Then we need to find them first,” Taeyong motioned for the group to follow him, “Taeil said something about a broadcast that they’d be holding to show the investors that the cure worked.  I’m gonna show them that it didn’t,”**

 

**Taeyong led the group to a staircase that took them to the top floor of the building; the 19 th floor.  He was certain that was the place where they’d be hosting the broadcast, since he’d apparently overheard something about an executive’s office being up there.  **

 

**Indeed, the 19 th floor looked quite different from the others.  It almost completely made of glass and there were no cells or horrifying torture chambers; only posh offices, fountains and beautiful paintings.**

 

**“What the hell? This place looks like a museum or something,” Mark spoke up.**

 

**“I h-hear something.  That way,” Doyoung said, taking the lead as the group approached a large set of wooden doors.  A voice could be faintly heard on the other side of the doors.  Taeyong tried to open them, but they were locked tight.**

 

**“Jaehyun, help me out here,”**

 

**Jaehyun nodded and strode over to the door, slamming his stone fists into it with incredible force until it was destroyed.  On the other side of the door was a truly massive office space.  Cameras had been set up and there were Mutants with blindfolds on and tied up with strange glowing ropes that seemed to electrocute them if they tried to move.  In the center of the room was a woman in an all-white business suit, holding a gun to a young man’s head as the cameras recorded her.**

 

**“Taeil, no!” Taeyong shouted.  Taeil’s eyes widened at the sight of Taeyong and the other boys, but he made no effort to stop the woman from pulling the trigger.  Yuta shielded his eyes as the gunshot rang out through the room, forcing Taeil to collapse to the ground in a pool of blood.**

 

**“He’d outlived his usefulness,” the woman said coldly, “and so have you,”**

 

**“You’ll pay for that Yuri,” Taeyong practically growled, the blue glow of his skin intensifying.  Yuta noticed that similar blue energy was coursing through Taeil’s open head wound; Taeyong was trying to remotely heal him the way he did with Jaehyun.  Hopefully it would work.**

 

**“I’m afraid you won’t have the chance to follow through on that threat.  While I have you all here, I may as well show the investors how successful our Sentinel has been,” Yuri replied, fishing her phone from her pocket and pressing a button on the screen.  Mere seconds later, the hulking robot Sentinel crashed through the wall on the left side of the room, sending debris flying all over the place.  Yuta’s heart rate increased as he felt heat gathering in his hands; it was time to finish this fight.**

 

**“Doyoung, you know what to do!” Yuta immediately ordered.  Doyoung gave a hesitant nod before removing his earphones and closing his eyes.  Suddenly the entire room started to shake as Doyoung levitated slowly off the ground, his entire body covered in rainbow colored energy.**

 

**The Sentinel clearly identified him as the biggest threat, and it retaliated by running straight for him.  Before it could grab him, Jaehyun jumped into its path, holding it off with brute force while Mark and Yuta pelted it with fireballs and electric shocks from behind.  None of this seemed to damage the machine, but it was at least enough to shield Doyoung for a few crucial moments.  When he opened his eyes he released a shrill scream before firing off a wall of red concussive energy that sent the Sentinel flying into the nearest wall.  Yuri tried to fire her gun at Doyoung, but the bullets stopped in midair before they could even hit him as though they were frozen in time.  Yuta was completely awestruck; so this was Doyoung’s true power…**

 

**“Damn it! You little bastards won’t ruin my plans!” Yuri screamed, turning her gun on Mark instead.  Usually he’d be fast enough to dodge the bullets, but he was preoccupied with continuing the assault on the Sentinel.  Just as she opened fire though, Donghyuck jumped in, shielding Mark from the bullets with his wings.  Once it was clear that she was out of ammunition, Donghyuck kicked the gun out of her hand and tackled her to the ground.**

 

**The Sentinel shook off Doyoung’s attack and tried to charge for him again, but it was once again knocked aside by an overwhelming amount of energy; it was clear that Doyoung could knock the thing around like a ragdoll all day long, but he still couldn’t seem to do any lasting damage.  Johnny was trying to help by freezing the Sentinel to whatever surface Doyoung knocked it into, but it simply powered right through his thick ice as though it was tissue paper.**

 

**“Yuta, listen to me,” Taeyong said, still partially focused on healing Taeil, “I noticed something about the Sentinel when it ambushed us back at the warehouse,”**

 

**“What’s that?” Yuta wondered, still launching fireballs at the thing to try and damage it in some way.**

 

**“When Mark tried to mess with the electricity inside the machine, it didn’t work.  It must have a nuclear power core then.  Didn’t you say you can absorb and release solar energy in the form of fire?”**

 

**“Yeah, so?”**

 

**“Well the sun is basically a huge nuclear reactor.  You might be able to absorb the energy inside the Sentinel and make it powerless,” Taeyong suggested.  Yuta shrugged; he had no idea if that would work, but he was willing to try anything.**

 

**“Jaehyun, Doyoung! Hold that thing down so I can get close!” Yuta yelled.  Jaehyun tackled the Sentinel like a football player, pinning it to the nearest wall long enough for Doyoung to trap it there with pink energy binding its arms and legs.  The Sentinel struggled, but it couldn’t seem to fight through them both at once.  Yuta went for it; he rushed in and held out his hands, focusing on the same feeling he got when he was standing outside on a sunny day.  Surely enough, he could practically feel the energy surging through the Sentinel.  With extreme focus, Yuta drained the energy from the robot and into himself, causing his entire body to glow like a radioactive orange.  He’d taken in so much energy that he desperately needed to release it, “Jae..hyun… move!”**

 

**Jaehyun dove aside just as Yuta released the largest fire blast he’d ever created.  It crashed into the Sentinel and exploded the wall, creating a gaping hole in the side of the office and causing the now powerless robot to fall like a lead weight to the ground below.**

 

**Yuta breathed a sigh of relief with the Sentinel gone, but he couldn’t relax quite yet.  Doyoung started to scream uncontrollably as the rainbow energy surrounding his body began to glow brighter; it was clear that he was starting to lose control.  The building rumbled as other objects in the room started to levitate off the ground.  Eventually, even the boys themselves were floating helplessly in the air.**

 

**“We need to find a way to ground him again!” Donghyuck yelled.**

 

**Jaehyun reached out to Doyoung and grabbed his hand, using it as an anchor to pull himself closer.  He reached into Doyoung’s pocket and grabbed his phone, carefully putting the earphones back in and playing a slow, soft song.  Gravity slowly returned to the room as Doyoung’s glow began to fade.  Everyone was placed back on the ground gently as Jaehyun pulled Doyoung into a tight embrace.**

 

**“It’s okay Doyoung, I’ve got you,” he said calmly.**

 

**“T-thank you Jaehyun,” Doyoung replied, sounding completely exhausted.**

 

**“Mark, cut the cameras,” Taeyong said once everything had calmed down a bit.  Mark nodded and fired off a few electric bolts in rapid succession, ending Yuri’s sadistic broadcast.**

 

**“You… little bastards,” Yuri said, pulling herself to her feet by grabbing onto the nearby desk.  She grabbed one of the syringes (presumably containing the cure) that was sitting there and then forcefully put Donghyuck in a headlock, clearly preparing to inject him, “if you think you’ve won, you’re sorely mistaken.  You may have destroyed our Sentinel and you may have caused us to look foolish in front of the investors, but you haven’t put an end to anything.  The Circle of Purification is bigger than any of you can imagine! We are a worldwide organization, do you really think a bunch of teenage mutant meddling abominations can stop us?”**

 

**“Maybe we won’t be able to,” Taeyong said solemnly, “but we’re never going to stop trying,”**

 

**With that, Donghyuck forcefully flexed his wings, causing Yuri to lose her grip on him and drop the syringe.  Mark bolted across the room and slammed into her at full force, knocking her into the wall and causing her to fall unconscious.**

 

**“You guys… did we just like, win?” Mark asked, a smile slowly creeping across his face.**

 

**Yuta couldn’t help but smile himself; against all odds, it certainly seemed that way.  He was distracted from his thoughts of victory by the sounds of someone groaning.  He turned his attention to Taeil, who was lying on the floor and holding his completely healed head.**

 

**“You… you did this didn’t you Taeyong?” Taeil muttered, “but why would you…”**

 

**“I already told you,” Taeyong cut him off, “you deserve so much better than this, even if you don’t think so,”**

 

**Taeil couldn’t seem to find the words to reply.  He simply hung his head and sighed.**

 

**“Perhaps you are right,”**

 

**“Let’s call the cops and get these guys out of here,” Ten said, motioning to the subdued group of Mutants on the far side of the room, “their families are probably worried sick about them,”**

 

**“Good call.  But what should we do with Taeil?” Taeyong wondered.**

 

**“Let the authorities take me.  I have many crimes to answer for,” Taeil said softly, “perhaps while I’m in their custody I can find out what it is I truly wish to do with my life,”**

 

**Taeyong kneeled down and placed his hand on Taeil’s shoulder.**

 

**“I hope whatever you decide is something that makes you truly happy,”**

 

**…**

 

**Taeyong leaned against one of the many police cars that had assembled outside of the Alchemax building.  His skin had finally returned to normal, though he could feel that his enhanced powers were there to stay.  Taeil had theorized that his unique Mutant gene probably reacted to the cure in a different way than anticipated, which made Taeyong smile.  Perhaps Headmaster Munroe was right when she called it a gift.**

 

**The police had arrested Yuri, Taeil and many of the Circle of Purification’s armed guards, and now they were focused on clearing out the cell blocks full of the surviving Mutants.**

 

**“What are you thinking about?” Yuta asked as he approached Taeyong, joining him in leaning against the car.**

 

**“Just everything we’ve been through.  It’s only been a few days and we’ve had enough action to last a lifetime,” Taeyong said, making Yuta giggle.**

 

**“You’re right, but I can’t help but feel like there’s so much more we could still do.  Yuri said that the Circle of Purification is so much bigger than this one branch, and she’s absolutely right.  I’m thinking of leaving the school for good and focusing my energy on taking down the other branches,”**

 

**Taeyong’s eyes widened.**

 

**“You’re serious?”**

 

**“Absolutely,”**

 

**There was a long moment of silence after that.  Taeyong knew better than to challenge Yuta’s resolve, and he was absolutely right about the Circle of Purification needing to be completely eradicated.**

 

**“Well… you can’t do something like that by yourself,” Taeyong finally replied.**

 

**“Taeyong, I couldn’t ask you to join me in something like that,”**

 

**“You don’t have to ask, if you’re doing it, then so am I,”**

 

**Yuta smiled widely at Taeyong; that beautiful smile that looked exactly like a ray of sun.  At that moment, Taeyong couldn’t help himself any longer.  He leaned in for a kiss and Yuta thankfully granted it.  His lips were soft and warm and Taeyong could only think one thing in that moment…**

 

**No matter what he went through as a Mutant, Yuta would make it all worth it.**

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the Circle of Purification suffering from a major blow, Paragon Class vows to continue their battle by taking up the mantle of the X-Men

**“You young men have certainly been through quite a lot,” Headmaster Munroe said, sitting with her leg crossed. She and the other teachers had called in Taeyong and Yuta for a sort of therapy session following the traumatic events they’d recently experienced, “we’ve already spoken to the rest of Paragon Class and it’s clear that you’ll all be needing copious amounts of counseling after all that’s happened,”**

 

**“We don’t want you two thinking its all seriousness though,” Professor McCoy said with a warm smile, fixing his wireframe glasses as he spoke, “we are certainly proud of you all and your momentous accomplishment,”**

 

**“Hank is right.  You guys did something amazing and you defended yourself against overwhelming odds and truly proved why you are the top class here at Xavier’s Institute,” Ms. Frost chimed in.**

 

**“I’m glad you all feel that way,” Yuta finally replied, taping his fingers against his knee, “because Taeyong and I aren’t going to stop until we completely destroy the Circle of Purification,”**

 

**Taeyong expected the teachers to be stunned or shocked by what Yuta said, but Headmaster Munroe simply cracked a smile and nodded her head.**

 

**“We figured as much, and your classmates seem to share your conviction.  Even the usually timid Doyoung appeared very eager to deliver the justice that Mutantkind so sorely needs,” Headmaster Munroe stood up from and waved for the boys to follow her, “come with me,”**

 

**Taeyong and Yuta followed the headmaster to the underground portion of the school; the same area Taeyong visited on his first day.  Instead of going to the Cerebro Chamber, she led them to a spacious atrium.  The room looked like a massive dome and the walls were completely devoid of detail.  Taeyong had no idea what this space could be used for.**

 

**“This was the original danger room,” Headmaster Munroe said, almost as though she’d read Taeyong’s mind, “the teachers and I once trained here when we were students.  In those days we had the same appetite for social change as you all do, but as we aged we settled into our roles as instructors instead of continuing the fight we’d begun,”**

 

**“You guys used to fight too?” Taeyong asked.**

 

**“Absolutely.  We even had a silly name for ourselves. The ‘X-Men’, of course named for the fact that we were students of Xavier’s Institute,” Headmaster Munroe chuckled, “the most significant thing about our past exploits was the fact that Headmaster Xavier was completely supportive of our actions.  Without him supplying us with resources and much-needed emotional support, we would have never accomplished as much as we did.  The other instructors and I believe that giving all of you that same support is the best way to make sure that you can accomplish your goals and still stay safe,”**

 

**“So you’re willing to help us out? I’ve gotta admit, that sounds a lot better than going it alone,” Yuta said with a smile.**

 

**“You will have our support, but there _are_ some rules you must adhere to,” Headmaster Munroe said, a stern quality taking over her normally comforting voice, “you will have access to all of the school’s resources, but you can only use them on officially sanctioned missions.  And you must keep your identities secret so as not to endanger the other students here,”**

 

**“Deal,” Taeyong and Yuta replied simultaneously.**

 

**“Splendid.  Then I’m happy to introduce you to your teammates,” Headmaster Munroe motioned to the door at the far end of the room where Mr. Summers came into the room with the other members of Paragon Class, as well as a few others.  Mark shot across the room faster than Taeyong’s eyes could follow and pulled him into a tight hug.**

 

**“Hey guys! I’m so happy to see you! Did Headmaster tell you? We’re gonna be like a Mutant superhero team or something it’s gonna be so freaking sweet! Like I never even imagined that this would…” Mark’s words were cut off once again by Donghyuck clamping a hand over his mouth.**

 

**“I am q-quite excited too,” Doyoung said with a soft smile.**

 

**“You guys gotta meet our new teammates,” Jaehyun said, pushing the new members to the front of the group.  Taeyong smiled at the sight of Ten and Johnny; he was so happy to see that they had enrolled at the school and would be joining the fight.**

 

**“We have cool codenames now too,” Ten said, “I’m Blink and he’s Iceman,”**

 

**“Hello, I’m Dong Sicheng,” one of the other new teammates said softly with a noticeable accent. There was a purple blindfold covering his eyes as well, “I just moved here from China.  They said my codename can be Blindfold because of… the blindfold. I’m blind but the only thing I can really see is the future,”**

 

**“That’s almost poetic,” Donghyuck said, “but… also kinda sad,”**

 

**“And I’m Kim Jungwoo! Some of you may know me already.  I used to be in Hellion Class but I got bumped up to Paragon after I developed some new abilities,”**

 

**“New abilities? You mean you have more than one?” Yuta said, clearly surprised, “I’ve only ever seen that with Doyoung and even then all of his different powers are just variations of one ability,”**

 

**“Yeah! Before I just had the ability to change my size. But now I have super strength and super durability too! Professor McCoy says I might even develop more powers in the future.  They said my codename should be Genesis,” Jungwoo said, never losing the sweet smile on his face.**

 

**“That’s incredible,” Taeyong responded.**

 

**“It looks like the next generation of the X-Men is a promising bunch,” Mr. Summers said to Headmaster Munroe.**

 

**“Indeed.  I have high hopes for them.  Perhaps they can finish what we started so long ago,”**

 

**As the group of young men in front of her talked and laughed among themselves, Headmaster Munroe knew that one thing was abundantly clear…**

 

**This group and their gifts were the key to establishing a future without fear for all Mutantkind.**

**Author's Note:**

> I also posted this story on AFF! Follow me on Twitter and yell at me about stuff if you want @solarstar_moon! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!


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